New Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson announced on Thursday the FTC is opening an investigation into censorship by Big Tech and called on Americans victimized by Big Tech censorship to submit reports to aid the investigation.
The deadline for public comment and submissions is May 21. Ferguson was appointed by President Trump last month to replace Joe Biden’s radical appointee Lina Khan.
Ferguson posted to X about the inquiry:
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. 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.
In the link below, you’ll find a series of questions about tech platform censorship policies. The process is simple. You may also attach pictures and documents, so we can better understand what happened. You can submit comments anonymously or under your name, but comments will be made public. If you would like to file a private report with the FTC instead, please go to http://reportfraud.ftc.gov and click “Report Now.” You must file your comments no later than May 21, 2025, by 11:59pm EST.
https://regulations.gov/docket/FTC-2025-0023
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.
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. We are asking for public submissions from anyone who has been a victim of tech censorship (banning, demonetization, shadow…
— Andrew Ferguson (@AFergusonFTC) February 20, 2025
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.
— Andrew Ferguson (@AFergusonFTC) February 20, 2025
Ferguson spoke about the investigation with Fox Business reporter Edward Lawrence:
Watch the latest video at foxbusiness.com
Today, the Federal Trade Commission launched a public inquiry to better understand how technology platforms deny or degrade users’ access to services based on the content of their speech or affiliations, and how this conduct may have violated the law.
Censorship by technology platforms is not just un-American, it is potentially illegal. Tech firms can employ confusing or unpredictable internal procedures that cut users off, sometimes with no ability appeal the decision. Such actions taken by tech platforms may harm consumers, affect competition, may have resulted from a lack of competition, or may have been the product of anti-competitive conduct.
The FTC issued a Request for Information (RFI) requesting public comment on how consumers may have been harmed by technology platforms that limited their ability to share ideas or affiliations freely and openly.
“Tech firms should not be bullying their users,” said FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. “This inquiry will help the FTC better understand how these firms may have violated the law by silencing and intimidating Americans for speaking their minds.”
Tech platform users who have been banned, shadow banned, demonetized, or otherwise censored are encouraged to share their comments in response to the RFI. The FTC is interested in understanding how consumers—including by potentially unfair or deceptive acts or practices, or potentially unfair methods of competition—have been harmed by the policies of tech firms.
The public will have until May 21, 2025 to submit a comment. Once submitted, comments will be posted to Regulations.gov. If consumers would prefer to file a private report with the FTC instead, they can go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and click “Report Now.”
Background on Ferguson by the law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney(excerpt):
Ferguson has been a Commissioner since April 2024, and after his elevation to FTC Chair last week, Ferguson is tasked with leading enforcement of the nation’s competition and consumer protection laws. A review of Ferguson’s statements while serving as an FTC Commissioner provides insight into how the agency under his leadership will enforce such laws. Ferguson has supported various enforcement actions and objectives, but has been a vocal opponent to the Khan-led FTC in the manner of pursuit of antitrust enforcement, issuing at least 35 dissenting statements both relating to specific cases and general FTC actions.1 For example, he has challenged several rulemaking decisions, dissenting against the Democratic majority and criticizing the FTC for overstepping its authority. While he has hinted at limiting antitrust enforcement, such as pulling back on the FTC’s broad ban on non-compete agreements, Ferguson has expressed his desire to apply pressure on “Big Tech,” vowing to end Big Tech’s alleged vendetta against competition and free speech.
Ferguson, who is the former Virginia solicitor general and former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, inherits ongoing cases and investigations that target Big Tech, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), health insurers, and energy companies. It is unlikely that the new FTC Chair and the FTC will initiate an immediate about-face on specific active cases and investigations. Indeed, commentators contend that a Ferguson-led FTC will maintain an aggressive antitrust enforcement posture, but with different priorities. On the other hand, Ferguson has already taken steps to change the FTC, notably: (1) ending the FTC’s diversity, equity and inclusion program; (2) requiring the other Commissioners to quickly vote on a motion to give him the undefined power “‘to modify’ the previous Commission’s strategic plan ‘and to take any other action’ he deems necessary to comply with [the President’s] Executive Orders”2; and (3) removing requests for public comment on five requests for information.3
From the banning of President Trump on down, the censorship by Big Tech has indeed been un-American–and dangerous as was shown during the censorship during COVID.
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