Legal problems could be mounting for Facebook again. This time, they are facing anti-trust probes from multiple US states.
Facebook is currently dealing with a one two punch. Just the other day, they suffered from another data leak. That saw 419 million accounts compromised. That was in relationship with users phone numbers.
Now, more trouble is on the horizon for Facebook. Yahoo! is noting that multiple US state attorney generals are now probing Facebook for anti-trust violations. From the report:
A coalition of US states unveiled on Friday an antitrust investigation of Facebook, the first of what is expected to be a wave of action against dominant technology firms.
New York state Attorney General Letitia James announced the action on behalf of seven other states and the District of Columbia to probe “whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk.”
The case may be the first in a series of antitrust actions against Big Tech firms and highlights growing “techlash,” based on worries about platforms which control the flow of online information and dominate key economic sectors.
“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,” James said.
Joining the action were attorneys general of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee, said James.
This isn’t the first time Facebook faced legal problems. Back in July, the FTC fined the company $5 billion for privacy violations related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. If this latest development is anything to go by, the social media platform is by no means out of the legal woods yet.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
