State antitrust investigation into Google expands

The group of 50 attorneys general investigating Google’s market dominance will also probe the company’s search and Android businesses, expanding their investigation, according to CNBC.

When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) first announced the investigation — launched alongside nearly every state attorney general in the country — he said the focus was Google’s online advertising business. But as it has progressed, according to CNBC, the attorneys general have decided some states will also look into Google search and Android, the company’s mobile operating system.

The states will soon issue civil investigative demands (CIDs) — a kind of subpoena — to obtain documents for the expanded probe, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC. They have already requested documents about Google’s ad business.

After the investigation was first announced earlier this year, Paxton said in a statement, “At this point, the multistate investigation is focused solely on online advertising; however, as always, the facts we discover as the investigation progresses will determine where the investigation ultimately leads.”