Experienced Big Tech Censorship? The FTC Wants to Hear from You
The nation’s consumer protection agency wants feedback from the public about how technology platforms deny users access to services based on the content of their speech.
The Federal Trade Commission has launched a public inquiry on the possibly unlawful ways that consumers may have been harmed by technology platforms – such as Facebook, Instagram, Google, et. al. – that limited their ability to share ideas freely and openly.
“Censorship by technology platforms is not just un-American, it is potentially illegal,” said the watchdog agency in a statement. “Tech firms can employ confusing or unpredictable internal procedures that cut users off, sometimes with no ability to 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 is asking the public who feels such censorship has occurred to enter a public comment, which will become part of the record at Regulations.gov. Those with privacy concerns who may be reluctant to call out big tech in such a public manner can file a report directly with the FTC by going to the agency’s site and clicking “Report Now.”
The public comment period ends on May 21.