The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is launching a probe into leading technology companies’ content policies and user bans, Chair Andrew Ferguson announced Thursday, suggesting their actions could amount to illegal censorship.
“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,” Ferguson wrote in a post on X.
“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.”
People are invited to submit pictures and documents, Ferguson said, and can stay anonymous if they prefer. He called the probe an “important step forward in restoring free speech.”
The Trump administration has signaled it plans to curb what it believes has been censorship of certain groups or viewpoints. When President Trump tapped Ferguson for the role, the president said he has a “proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship.”
When accepting the nomination, Ferguson vowed the FTC will “end Big Tech’s vendetta against competition and free speech.”
The leaders of many of America’s largest technology and social media companies have sought to warm relations with Trump as he begins his second stint in the White House, with many donating $1 million to his inaugural committee and in some cases changing policies to align with his “anti-woke” agenda.
Ferguson did not name any specific companies in his announcement.
Ferguson most recently served as solicitor general of Virginia and was an antitrust litigator at various Washington law firms. He assumed his new role on Inauguration Day after being sworn in as a commissioner last April.
