FTC Launches Investigation into ‘un-American’ Big Tech Censorship

The Federal Trade Commission is launching an investigation into “un-American” big tech censorship, soliciting feedback from the American public about how their speech has been stifled by America’s most dominant tech companies.

“Big Tech censorship is not just un-American, it is potentially illegal. The FTC wants your help to investigate these potential violations of the law,” Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson said on Thursday. “We are asking for public submissions from anyone who has been a victim of tech censorship (banning, demonetization, shadow banning, etc.), from employees of tech platforms, or from anyone else who can shed light on these practices and the ways in which they may violate the law.”

“Today’s announcement marks an important step forward in restoring free speech and making sure Americans no longer suffer under the tyranny of Big Tech — PERMANENTLY. I look forward to hearing from you,” Ferguson added.

The Daily Caller reported the agency is asking for public comments on censorship by big tech companies.

“In case there was any doubt, Big Tech is on notice. We do not intend to take our foot off the gas any time soon. The days of censorship and monopolies are over,” a senior FTC official told the outlet.

The FTC, which is charged with policing deceptive and anticompetitive behavior, noted big tech companies may use policies to obscure their censorship practices, which may violate the law:

The FTC notes in the draft document that Big Tech companies may use “opaque or unpredictable” internal policies — separate from the company’s official terms of service — to censor Americans’ speech. Big Tech companies, the FTC explains, may also censor Americans without proper notice or an explanation of what they did wrong, and may not give them a meaningful opportunity to appeal content moderation decisions made by the platforms.

Such practices, the FTC warns, could constitute illegal anti-competitive behavior.

Ferguson has long called on the agency to target “unlawful collusion” between big tech platforms and advertising companies that engage in advertising boycotts.

He wrote in a statement in December:

We should address not just censorious conduct specifically, but also investigate the structural issues that may have given these platforms their power over Americans’ lives and speech in the first place. In particular, we must vigorously enforce the antitrust laws against any platforms found to be unlawfully limiting Americans’ ability to exchange ideas freely and openly. We must prosecute any unlawful collusion between online platforms, and confront advertiser boycotts which threaten competition among those platforms. [Emphasis added]

“Censorship, even if carried out transparently and honestly, is inimical to American democracy. The Commission must use the full extent of its authority to protect the free speech of all Americans,” Ferguson said concluded in his statement.

He continued, “That authority includes the power to investigate collusion that may suppress competition and, in doing so, suppress free speech online. We ought to conduct such an investigation. And if our investigation reveals anti-competitive cartels that facilitate or promote censorship, we ought to bust them up.”