Connecticut’s Attorney General wants to know more about one tech giant’s outsize influence in the digital marketplace. William Tong is one of 50 attorneys general who have launched an anti-trust investigation into Google.
Tong said during a Monday news conference that Google controls about 70 percent of the digital advertising marketplace. And he said that means every day, Google puts pressure on Connecticut consumers.
He said the investigation will probe whether the company has used the power it has in the marketplace to illegally influence consumer spending habits.
“I’m very concerned that that pressure – that that squeeze -- forces Connecticut residents, Connecticut families, and Connecticut businesses into paying more than we have to and forces us into doing businesses with companies that Google wants us to do business with,” said Tong.
Google responded to Connecticut Public Radio’s request for comment with a written statement.
‘We look forward to showing how we are investing in innovation, providing services that people want, and engaging in robust and fair competition.’
In regards to another investigation of a big player on the web that was launched by some states last week, Tong says that he hasn’t yet taken a formal look into Facebook.
He did confirm that Connecticut is “part of the conversation.”
