Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) is facing a multistate investigation into the possibility that it violated antitrust laws.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading the probe, which she announced on Friday.
In a statement, AG James said she is working with the attorneys general of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and the District of Columbia to determine whether Facebook is taking advantage of its dominance to prevent competition.
“Even the largest social media platform in the world must follow the law and respect consumers. I am proud to be leading a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in investigating whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk,” said AG James.
She added, “We will use every investigative tool at our disposal to determine whether Facebook’s actions may have endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumers’ choices, or increased the price of advertising.”
Facebook welcomes the states’ inquiry
In response to AG James’ announcement, Facebook’s Vice President of State and Local Policy Will Castleberry released a statement indicating that the social media giant welcomes the multistate investigation.
