AG Alan Wilson Investigating Facebook for Possible Antitrust Violations

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - Oct. 22, 2019 – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and attorneys general from across the country today announced an antitrust investigation of Facebook’s business practices. A total of 47 attorneys general are part of the effort.  

In regard to the investigation, Attorney General Wilson stated, “Competition built this country and free and competitive markets are important for social media platforms. We are part of a bipartisan group investigating whether Facebook violated any state or federal laws. To ensure that there is meaningful market-based competition, we will work exhaustively to verify that companies follow the law.”

The investigation focuses on Facebook’s dominance in the industry and the potential anti-competitive conduct stemming from that dominance.  As the facts develop, we will proceed appropriately.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with the attorneys general of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia, are leading the investigation into Facebook. Additionally, joining Attorney General Wilson in announcing they have joined the investigation of Facebook today, are the attorneys general from Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the territory of Guam, in addition to a number of other states that cannot confirm their participation in pending investigations.