US FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson announces an inquiry into “Big Tech censorship”, which he calls “un-American” and “potentially illegal”, and seeks public comment
including ‘shadow banning’ Sean Burch / The Wrap : Trump-Appointed FTC Chair Launches Big Tech Inquiry for ‘Bullying’ and Censorship Sean Burch / TVNewsCheck : Trump-Appointed FTC Chair Launches Big Tech Inquiry For ‘Bullying’ And Censorship Wendy Davis / MediaPost : FTC Chair Says Content Moderation ‘Potentially Illegal,’ Launches Investigation TokyoLiving / Japan Today : Trump administration to press ahead with Amazon, Meta antitrust cases Kristinn Taylor / The Gateway Pundit : Big Tech Censorship: FTC Chairman Announces Investigation, Asks Victims to Submit Reports PYMNTS.com : FTC Seeks Public Input on Alleged Censoring by Big Tech Fox Business : New FTC chair looks to hold Big Tech's ‘feet to the fire’ MLex : US FTC Chair Ferguson requests comment on ‘tech platform censorship’ Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch : Trump's FTC is looking into censorship on tech platforms Amber Duke / The Daily Caller : EXCLUSIVE: Federal Trade Commission Launches Probe Into Big Tech's Censorship Of Americans Bluesky: Casey Newton / @caseynewton : The new chairman of the FTC wants to investigate cENsORsHiP on social platforms and boy do I have a platform for them! www.platformer.news/ftc-censorsh... [image] @zero-to-hero : I'd like to hear how its illegal and what constitutes censorship in their eyes. The 1st amendment covers government censorship, and not private industry. This could lead to weakening companies ability to moderate their platforms from hate speech. Mike Masnick / @mmasnick : Trump FTC getting ready to go after social media companies (I'm sure it will skip ExTwitter, and possibly now Meta) for their First Amendment protected editorial discretion. — www.regulations.gov/document/ FTC... [image] Leah ‘AntiTrustButVerify’ Nylen / @leahnylen : The idea had support from Republican FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson who urged the agency to do a 6(b) on how tech platforms set and police their terms of service. FTC Chair Joe Simons declined on the grounds that the agency only looks at “commercial speech” and not political speech Leah ‘AntiTrustButVerify’ Nylen / @leahnylen : Also this idea of the FTC looking into content moderation of tech platforms isn't new: in 2020, Trump issued an EO that advised the FTC to do just that after Twitter began fact-checking his posts Leah ‘AntiTrustButVerify’ Nylen / @leahnylen : Couple thoughts: in the previous administration, FTC Chair Khan often used similar RFIs to collect comments before opening investigations or 6(b) studies — eg the RFI on pharma benefit managers that preceded both a study and investigation. Ferguson seems to be continuing that approach X: Andrew Ferguson / @afergusonftc : 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. Melissa Holyoak / @mholyoakftc : Big tech censorship is one of the most consequential issues facing our nation. This RFI is a crucial first step to protect Americans and restore free speech. I look forward to hearing the public's comments. Nico Perrino / @nicoperrino : Social media companies are private companies with First Amendment rights. You and I may not like how they moderate content, but it is nevertheless their right to do so — as the Supreme Court made clear last term. Here is what the court said of Texas' social media regulation: [image] Joe Coniglio / @josephvconiglio : If the FTC were serious, it would focus on the third-party groups who openly state they are working to influence tech firms to take down content they dislike. Section 5 of the FTC Act could be used to prevent this type of invitation to engage in hub and spoke collusion. 2/2 Allum Bokhari / @allumbokhari : Great to see an FTC with the right priorities. We're exiting a 8-year period that saw countless politically motivated bans, shadowbans, and financial deplatforming. If you were one of the victims, now is the time to offer a comment. Amber Duke / @ambermarieduke : EXCLUSIVE: The @FTC is asking Americans and Big Tech employees to share examples of political censorship during a public comment period. These requests for public comment are often a precursor for formal investigations and legal action. A senior FTC official told @DailyCaller: [image] Mike Benz / @mikebenzcyber : Big bold action here by @AFergusonFTC and the new FTC, which just put out a request for comment for Americans to share examples of online censorship they or their news org suffered. FTC is making good on promises to go after abuse of monopoly power for the stifling of speech. Nathan Leamer / @nathanleamerdc : Start with Jack Dorsey who kicked the President of the United States off Twitter. That was a watershed moment that led to debanking Conservatives, censoring heterodox ideas and suppressing any wrong-think deemed by the elites. I commend @AFergusonFTC for taking on these Rob / @robmcgravytrain : This is a stunning and welcome announcement from the FTC. Big tech censorship is a massive and bipartisan issue. @ambermarieduke caught wind of this and alerted @DailyCaller readers it was coming early this morning. Ben Brody / @benbrodydc : The key questions in the full request by Chair Ferguson on tech censorship circle around companies' public representations and the lack of competition, both key FTC issues Adam Kovacevich / @adamkovac : The FTC is taking direct aim at the everyday content moderation that every online service uses to make sure it doesn't become overrun with spam, harassment, or scams. Even Truth Social and X do this moderation. A Supreme Court majority found in the Netchoice case that platforms have First Amendment rights to moderate... Wes Hodges / @wesghodges : One month in, Chair @AFergusonFTC keeps hitting bullseyes. We are spoiled to have him and @BrendanCarrFCC helming their commissions. Zephyr Teachout / @zephyrteachout : One of my reasons for being so concerned about big tech personalized wages and prices is how it can be used to punish and reward viewpoints via prices and wages Joe Coniglio / @josephvconiglio : A big tech firm unilaterally taking down content does not violate the antitrust laws. And the idea that the big tech firms are colluding with each other to do so doesn't pass the laugh test, let alone engaged in a group boycott to exclude content they don't even compete with 1/2 Jake Denton / @realjdenton : This is just the start. We will hold Big Tech accountable. No more shadow bans, no more algorithmic manipulation, no more tech oligarchs deciding what we can and can't say. Big Tech's censorship of the American people ends now. Randy Barnett / @randyebarnett : It's a new @FTC. Joe Gabriel Simonson / @sayssimonson : The @FTC intends to hold Big Tech accountable. If you've been wronged, come talk to us. Click the link below and explain what happened. https://www.regulations.gov/ ... Ryan Grim / @ryangrim : If you've ever had a post critical of the Israeli government censored, the FTC wants to know about it. Submit a comment here: Wendy Davis / @wendyndavis : Potentially illegal? Court after court after court — including Supreme Court in NetChoice v. Moody — has said tech platforms have the 1st Amendment right to moderate content. See NetChoice v. Moody: https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ... [image] Andy Jung / @andyjungtech : The request for comment is pretty telling. Q1 tees up unfairness claims, Q2 tees up deception, Q5 hints at jawboning, Q6 tees up UMC/competition claims. Q5's weird tho, do they expect tech companies to submit answers? How would outsiders know Big Tech's “motivations”? Andrew Ferguson / @afergusonftc : 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. Daniel Castro / @castrotech : 1/ The FTC chair's latest statement is quite something. Calling content moderation “tyranny” while literally asking the government to police what private companies allow on their platforms? That's not free speech—that's government interference. @ftc : Federal Trade Commission launches inquiry on tech censorship: https://www.ftc.gov/... Ben Remaly / @benremaly : FTC opens probe of tech platform censorship. Very broad. No companies named. Clear the FTC is considering antitrust and consumer protection. Andrew Ferguson / @afergusonftc : 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 Forums: r/FreeSpeech : Federal Trade Commission Launches Inquiry on Tech Censorship
Context & Ripple Effects
The FTC has repeatedly expanded its scrutiny of large technology platforms, from its earlier technology-sector competition task force to a 2024 report describing extensive consumer-data collection at major platforms. This inquiry shifts the agency’s stated focus toward platforms’ decisions over speech and account reach.
The request for public input puts alleged users and employees at the center of the record-building process. It matters because content moderation is now being examined alongside the FTC’s existing concerns about platform power and data practices.
First-order effects
- Platforms and their current or former employees can submit information to the FTC, while people alleging censorship or “shadow banning” gain a formal channel to document claims.
- The FTC begins collecting evidence on content-moderation and visibility decisions, raising immediate compliance and public-affairs attention for the companies targeted by the inquiry.
Second-order effects
- Platform operators may need to preserve and explain moderation, ranking, and enforcement processes more clearly as the inquiry develops, even before any enforcement action is specified.
- The inquiry places content governance closer to the agency’s wider Big Tech agenda, alongside its prior examination of major platforms’ consumer-data practices.
Third-order effects
- If this approach is sustained, US platform oversight could increasingly treat control over visibility and participation as a competition and market-access issue, not solely a private trust-and-safety function.
- The practical boundary between lawful editorial discretion and conduct regulators view as exclusionary will become more consequential, though the inquiry alone does not establish a legal standard or outcome.
The trend: US technology oversight is broadening from data and competition concerns toward scrutiny of how dominant platforms govern access, reach, and expression.