Missouri starts investigation of Google tactics

SAN FRANCISCO — Missouri’s attorney general has opened an investigation into whether Google’s business practices violate its consumer protection and antitrust laws amid growing concern over the influence of powerful technology companies.

Josh Hawley, Missouri’s attorney general, said Monday that his office had issued a subpoena to Google to seek information into the collection and use of users’ private information, the use of other content providers’ information on its sites and potential bias in search engine results.

Missouri’s investigation demonstrates how states and Europe have begun to take the lead on examining Google, which has avoided antitrust scrutiny from federal regulators. Hawley, a Republican who is running for the Senate in 2018, said that the Federal Trade Commission had given Google a “free pass” and that it was critical for consumers to understand what was happening with their personal information.

Google had no immediate comment on the suit.