We are encouraged that Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is joining with other State Attorney Generals to investigate Big Tech for antitrust violations and violations of consumer privacy laws. This however will NOT stop Big Tech from doing everything it can to steal the 2020 election. We have a plan to defend out 1st Amendment rights in Ohio - check it out and join our fight!
Ohio attorney general to join Facebook antitrust investigation
By Tyler Arnold | The Center Square | Sep 6, 2019
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is joining a bipartisan investigation with other state attorneys general into whether Facebook has stifled potential competition in violation of antitrust laws.
Yost has expressed concerns about online media platforms potentially violating antitrust legislation in the past.
“Attorney General Yost has made his concerns with big data public and today we can confirm that we will be joining this multistate investigation,” Dave O’Neil, the senior public information officer for Yost, told The Center Square via email.
The announcement was first made by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“Even the largest social media platform in the world must follow the law and respect consumers,” James said. “I am proud to be leading a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in investigating whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk. 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.”
The other states that have gotten involved in the investigation are Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee and the District of Columbia.
In a statement, Will Castleberry, Facebook’s vice president of state and local policy, said that the company would work with the attorneys general on their concerns.
"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. We will work constructively with state attorneys general and we welcome a conversation with policymakers about the competitive environment in which we operate.”
Two months ago, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it was launching an investigation into whether online platforms are trying to stifle competition and innovation or engaging in practices that harm consumers. That probe also includes other platforms, such as Google and Apple.
