FTC Chairman Urges Public to Blow the Whistle on Big Tech Censorship

CPI reported on Thursday, that Andrew Ferguson, the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announced that his agency is soliciting public input about content-moderating policies for major technological platforms and questions whether these practices are illegal.

Ferguson invited people who have experienced tech censorship, to submit their comments before May 21, 2018.

Ferguson wrote: “Big Tech censorship is not only un-American, but it could also be illegal.”

The FTC wants your help to investigate possible law violations. People who have experienced tech censorship such as shadow banning or demonetization are welcome to submit public submissions. Tech platform employees and anyone else with knowledge about these practices can also submit a public submission.

Ferguson told Reuters that “Big Tech censorship”, a form of censorship that suppresses free speech, can violate consumer protection laws if they mislead users about platform policies.

This request for public comment is addressed to social media companies, ride-sharing apps, photo and video-sharing sites, and other digital communications devices.

The Republican Party is concerned about the unfair targeting of conservative views by social media platforms.

Reuters reported on the fact that House Republicans previously investigated allegations that the Biden administration had pressured platforms to remove COVID-19 and Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Several Republican-led States also passed legislation restricting technology firms from moderating specific types of speech.

Content moderation is a highly controversial topic, particularly in light of the recent bans placed by former president Donald Trump on Twitter and YouTube after the January 6, 2021 riots in the U.S. Capitol.

Even though Trump was reinstated on these platforms, debates continue about free speech and misinformation, as well as platform accountability.

Reuters reported the FTC is looking into possible anti-competitive behavior related to advertising boycotts against certain platforms, such as Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). According to the agency, inconsistent policies regarding content moderation could violate laws prohibiting misleading business practices.