Big tech companies use monopoly muscle to widen their dominance of the US digital market.

That’s the contention of state Attorney General Alan Wilson of Lexington.

He and his colleagues in 49 other states, the US Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are investigating Google.

Federal antitrust enforcers are looking at Google, Face-book, Amazon and Apple.

Wilson said the multi-state, bipartisan investigation centers on Google’s over-arching control of online advertising and search traffic that may have led to anti-competitive behavior that harms consumers.

Legal experts from each state will work in cooperation with federal authorities to assess competitive conditions for online services and ensure Americans have access to free digital markets.

“No company, no matter how big and how powerful, is above the law,” he said.

“Every citizen has the right to the protection of his or her privacy from internet giants. We will answer these serious questions regarding Google’s practices.”

Past investigations of Google uncovered violations ranging from advertising illegal drugs to 3 antitrust actions brought by the European Commission.

Wilson said none of these investigations fully explored the source of Google’s sustained market power.

The results of the probes, experts predict, will take antitrust enforcement into uncharted, digital-age territory.

Courts haven’t seen a major monopoly case since the Justice Department sued Microsoft Corp. 20 years ago.

Federal antitrust laws give the government flexibility to apply them to new forms of monopoly conduct.

The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 outlaws monopolies and “every contract, combination, or conspiracy in restraint of trade” that is considered unreasonable.