The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is opening up an official request for public comments on censorship by Big Tech companies. The agency is asking Americans to detail cases where they’ve faced consequences from companies for engaging in disfavored political speech, according to a draft document obtained by the Daily Caller.
Requests for public comments by the FTC are often a precursor to formal investigations or agency-level policy changes, indicating the agency, helmed by Commissioner Andrew Ferguson, does not intend to allow sweeping allegations of political censorship in prior years to go unchecked.
“In case there was any doubt, Big Tech is on notice. We do not intend to take our foot off the gas any time soon. The days of censorship and monopolies are over,” a senior FTC official told the Caller.
The document asks Americans if they have ever been suspended, banned, shadow banned, or otherwise received degraded services by technology platforms after sharing their opinions. It also suggests that users may have been punished by Big Tech companies for activities or groups they engaged with outside of those platforms.
