Facebook's Antisocial Tactics Focus Of NY Probe

NEW YORK — Facebook won't "like" this. New York and seven other states are investigating Facebook over concerns about the social media giant's potentially anticompetitive practices.

The probe led by state Attorney General Letitia James is focusing on whether Facebook's dominance in its industry has led to possible anticompetitive conduct by the company, James's office said Friday.

Investigators will specifically examine whether Facebook has "endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumers' choices, or increased the price of advertising," James said.

"Even the largest social media platform in the world must follow the law and respect consumers," James, a Democrat, said in a statement. "I am proud to be leading a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in investigating whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk."

The top prosecutors in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and the District of Columbia are joining New York in the probe, according to James's office.

The investigation comes amid the Federal Trade Commission's own antitrust probe into Facebook, which the company confirmed in its July quarterly report. The commission also slapped Facebook with a $5 billion fine that month over user privacy concerns.

Facebook will work with the AGs in the course of their investigation and welcomes "a conversation with policymakers about the competitive environment in which we operate," Will Castleberry, the company's vice president of state and local policy, said in a statement.

"People have multiple choices for every one of the services we provide," Castleberry said. "We understand that if we stop innovating, people can easily leave our platform. This underscores the competition we face, not only in the US but around the globe."

News of the Facebook probe came two days after YouTube and Google agreed to pay New York $34 million as part of a $170 million settlement over allegations that the companies violated kids' privacy rights.