The U.S. Department of Justice is looking into social media giants Facebook and Google to see if they are stifling competition in the industry.
Now top Ohio lawmakers say they want to work with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to aid in the state’s role in the investigation.
Attorney General Dave Yost has joined with eight other state attorneys generalto investigate antitrust actions by those tech giants. He says though that usually happens when companies get so big they drive up costs, in this case the service is free. But users are paying by giving up valuable data that Facebook and Google sell.
“The consumers, Bill and Betty Buckeye, I would suggest to you are not the consumers. They are the product,” Yost says.
Yost and top lawmakers want hearings for Ohioans to share how they feel their privacy and security has been compromised. That information could be used to craft the state’s role in the federal investigation.
