US states announce antitrust probe of Facebook

A coalition of US state officials announced Friday they had launched an antitrust investigation of Facebook to determine if the social media giant “has stifled competition and put users at risk.”

New York state Attorney General Letitia James released a statement announcing the action on behalf of seven other states and the District of Columbia.

The move marks the first official US antitrust action against one of the so-called Big Tech companies – although a landmark case had targeted Microsoft back in the 1990s.

“Even the largest social media platform in the world must follow the law and respect consumers,” James said.