Forty-six attorneys general have joined a New York-led antitrust investigation into Facebook

Forty-six attorneys general have joined a New York-led antitrust investigation into Facebook, raising the stakes in a sweeping bipartisan probe of the tech giant that could result in massive changes to its business practices. The expanded roster of states and territories taking part in the investigation reflects lingering, broad concerns among the country’s competition watchdogs that “Facebook may have put consumer data at risk, reduced the quality of consumers’ choices, and increased the price of advertising,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. With the state probe into Facebook, the concerns span the full gamut of its sprawling digital empire, including its past struggles to protect consumers’ data and its prior acquisition of two competitors, Instagram and WhatsApp. Initially, New York launched its probe with seven other states and DC.