Barr meets with state AGs over tech antitrust concerns

A group of eight state attorneys general met with Attorney General William Barr on Thursday to discuss antitrust concerns about tech giants.

“Our bipartisan coalition of eight state attorneys general was pleased with the opportunity to meet with U.S. Attorney General Barr to talk about the real concerns consumers across the country have with big tech companies stifling competition on the internet,” the group said in a joint statement. “It was a productive meeting and we’re considering a range of possible anti-trust actions against such companies.”

Among the states that participated were Texas, Louisiana, Nebraska and New York.

{mosads}“Today’s meeting was about coming together — in a bipartisan manner — to protect competition, protect our economy, and protect consumers. We have concerns about the size of these tech companies and will hold them accountable for anticompetitive practices that endanger privacy and consumer data,” New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said in a statement.

News of the meeting was first reported by Politico.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to comment. It is unclear which other states participated in the meeting.

The meeting comes just days after the DOJ announced a broad antitrust review of tech giants’ market power.

The DOJ did not mention any tech giants by name, but Google, Facebook and Amazon have borne the brunt of recent antitrust scrutiny in Washington.

Facebook announced on Wednesday that it is the subject of an ongoing antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission.