MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Monday announced that the state is leading 50 attorneys general in an investigation of tech giant Google's business practices in accordance with state and federal antitrust laws.
The probe includes attorneys general from 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. California and Alabama are not involved in the probe, Paxton said.
The probe will investigate Google's overarching control of online advertising markets and search traffic that may have led to anticompetitive behavior that harms consumers.
Legal experts from each state will work in cooperation with Federal authorities to assess competitive conditions for online services and ensure that Americans have access to free digital markets.
'There is nothing wrong with a business becoming the biggest game in town if it does so through free market competition, but we have seen evidence that Google's business practices may have undermined consumer choice, stifled innovation, violated users' privacy, and put Google in control of the flow and dissemination of online information. We intend to closely follow the facts we discover in this case and proceed as necessary,' Paxton said.
Meanwhile, an antitrust probe into Facebook was announced on Friday by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who will lead the case. Attorneys general from seven states plus the District of Columbia are participating in the Facebook investigation.
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