FTC seeks publics input on un-American and potentially illegal Big Tech censorship including shadow banning

The Federal Trade Commission will put Big Tech firms like Google and Facebook parent Meta under the microscope over the potential censorship of users and has asked for the public’s input, the agency announced on Thursday.The FTC, led by President Trump’s newly appointed chairman Andrew Ferguson, invited people to submit comments on the the agency’s website through May 21 — describing Big Tech censorship as “not just un-American” but “potentially illegal.” “Tech firms should not be bullying their users,” Ferguson said in a statement.“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.”Among the concerns flagged by Ferguson is the practice of “shadow banning,” noting that companies “can implement confusing or unpredictable internal procedures that cut users off, sometimes with no ability to appeal the decision.”Users of social media apps and other tech platforms who have faced shadow bans or had their accounts demonetized or censored were specifically “encouraged to share their comments” in the FTC’s request.“Chair Ferguson is opening the black box that is the tech censorship regime, allowing regular Americans who have been on the wrong end of these suppression efforts to speak up and share their experiences,” said Nathan Leamer, CEO of Fixed Gear Strategies.“I’m hopeful this shines a light on the unfair and un-American practices of some of these internet gatekeepers,” Leamer added.The FTC action comes as Big Tech executives, including Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Apple’s Tim Cook, scramble to cozy up to the Trump administration.The tech billionaires and several others have personally met with Trump since his election win.

Many major companies, including Meta, have slashed internal DEI programs in lockstep with similar moves by the Trump administration within the federal government.Zuckerb...