States Target Google In New Antitrust Probe
MOUNTAIN VIEW (CBS / AP) -- A large group of states led by Texas is announcing an investigation of Google's market power and whether it unfairly squelches competition and hurts consumers.
The announcement by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a press conference at the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court comes just days after a separate group of states disclosed an investigation into Facebook's market dominance.
The probe by the bipartisan group of attorneys general from 48 states - along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico - widens the antitrust scrutiny of big tech companies beyond sweeping federal and congressional investigations and enforcement action by European regulators.
California and Alabama are the two states that haven't joined the investigation into potential for monopolistic behavior from Google.
A spokeswoman for California's attorney general would only say the state is committed to fighting anti-competitive behavior. She says she won't confirm or deny the existence of any investigation. Google has its headquarters in Mountain View, California.
Alabama officials didn't immediately return messages for comment.
Google's parent company, Alphabet, has a market value of more than $820 billion and controls so many facets of the internet that it's fairly impossible to surf the web for long without running into at least one of its services.
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