Google, Facebook Had Illegal Deal to Rig Ad Market, Texas Says

Alphabet Inc.’s Google reached an illegal deal with Facebook Inc. to maintain a chokehold over the lucrative digital advertising market, according to a lawsuit filed by 10 states led by Texas.

The complaint, which targets Google’s central role in the buying and selling of display ads across the web, was filed in federal court in Texas Wednesday.

“Google repeatedly used its monopolistic power to control pricing, engage in market collusions to rig auctions in a tremendous violation of justice,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a video posted on Twitter announcing the lawsuit.

“If the free market were ...