The Supreme Court agreed to hear a rush appeal deciding whether President Trump acted lawfully in firing board members leading independent federal agencies, setting up oral arguments for December 2025. The case will reconsider the landmark 1935 precedent Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, …
Supreme CourtDonald TrumpRebecca SlaughterFederal Trade CommissionBrett Kavanaughsupreme-courtjudiciarycourtsexecutive-powerindependent-agencies+3 more
On September 11, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission issued Section 6(b) orders to seven major tech companies—Alphabet (Google), Character.AI, Meta (Instagram/Facebook), OpenAI, Snap, and Elon Musk’s xAI—demanding detailed information about AI-powered ‘companion’ chatbots designed …
Federal Trade CommissionAlphabetCharacter.AIMetaOpenAI+3 moreftcai-chatbotschildren-safetyai-regulationmeta+4 more
Federal Trade Commission chair Andrew Ferguson, a Trump appointee, voted to scrap the nationwide ban on noncompete agreements, replacing comprehensive worker protections with case-by-case dispute resolution. The reversal leaves approximately 30 million American workers bound by restrictive …
Andrew FergusonFederal Trade CommissionDonald Trumpregulatory-captureworker-rights-rollbackcorporate-powerlabor-exploitation
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, allowed President Trump to fire Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter before her term ends, overturning nearly 90 years of regulatory independence precedent established in …
Chief Justice John RobertsDonald TrumpRebecca SlaughterSupreme CourtFederal Trade Commissioninstitutional-captureregulatory-captureconstitutional-crisisseparation-of-powers
President Trump signs executive order revoking previous competition and antitrust enforcement policies, clearing path for increased corporate consolidation and monopolistic practices without federal oversight.
Donald TrumpDepartment of Justice Antitrust DivisionFederal Trade Commissionmonopoly-powerantitrusteconomic-policyreward-alliescorporate-consolidation+3 more
Mark Zuckerberg lobbied President Trump to settle a 2020 FTC antitrust case that
seeks to unwind Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp for allegedly maintaining
an illegal monopoly. The case was set for trial on April 14, 2025. According to WSJ,
negotiations failed and the trial …
Mark ZuckerbergMetaDonald TrumpTrump AdministrationFederal Trade Commissionantitrustbig-techregulatory-captureconflict-of-interest
The Federal Trade Commission announced a $5.8 million settlement with Ring after finding the company compromised customers’ privacy by allowing employees and contractors to access private videos and failing to implement basic security protections that enabled hackers to take control of …
RingAmazonFederal Trade Commissionringftcprivacy-violationsemployee-misconductsurveillance-abuse+2 more
The Federal Trade Commission, joined by 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, files major antitrust lawsuit against Facebook alleging illegal monopolization through systematic acquisition of competitors Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC seeks structural breakup of Facebook through forced …
Federal Trade CommissionFacebookMark ZuckerbergInstagramWhatsApp+1 morefacebookftcantitrustmonopolizationinstagram+4 more
The FTC announces a record $5 billion fine against Facebook for privacy violations related to Cambridge Analytica, but grants unprecedented immunity from personal liability to Mark Zuckerberg and other executives for past misconduct while imposing no structural changes to the company’s …
FacebookMark ZuckerbergFederal Trade CommissionRohit ChopraRebecca Kelly Slaughter+1 morefacebookftcregulatory-capturefineszuckerberg-immunity+4 more
The University of Phoenix’s enrollment collapsed from a peak of 470,000 students in 2010 to approximately 95,000 by fall 2018—an 80% decline—as federal and state investigations exposed systematic fraud including deceptive advertising that falsely promised job opportunities with major companies …
University of PhoenixApollo Education GroupFederal Trade Commissionfor-profit-collegesfraudstudent-debtuniversity-of-phoenix
Northrop Grumman completed its $9.2 billion acquisition of Orbital ATK on June 6, 2018, gaining control of the premier supplier of solid rocket motors essential for missile systems and creating anticompetitive market dominance that the Federal Trade Commission warned would “reduce competition …
Northrop GrummanOrbital ATKFederal Trade CommissionDepartment of DefenseBoeingMilitary-Industrial ComplexDefense ContractorsMonopoly PowerMergers and AcquisitionsAntitrust+2 more
The Federal Trade Commission approved Amazon’s $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market on August 23, 2017, without an in-depth investigation. This decision demonstrated regulatory challenges in addressing 21st-century tech monopolies, as the FTC did not find substantial anticompetitive …
Facebook acquires WhatsApp for $19 billion, the largest tech acquisition to date, eliminating its primary competitor in mobile messaging and consolidating monopoly control over personal communications platforms. The FTC approves the acquisition without structural separation requirements despite …
FacebookMark ZuckerbergWhatsAppJan KoumBrian Acton+1 morefacebookwhatsappantitrustmergermonopolization+4 more
The Federal Trade Commission closed its 19-month antitrust investigation of Google without bringing charges, despite internal staff recommendations for legal action. With 230 White House meetings in 2012-2013, Google demonstrated unprecedented political access, ultimately avoiding significant …
Federal Trade CommissionGoogle Inc.Larry PageEric SchmidtFTC Staff Attorneys+2 moreregulatory-capturetech-industryantitrustgoogleftc+2 more
On August 9, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Google would pay a record $22.5 million civil penalty—the largest ever levied against a single company in FTC history—to settle charges of deliberately circumventing Apple Safari browser privacy settings to track users without their …
GoogleFederal Trade CommissionAppleJon Leibowitz (FTC Chairman)Stanford Web Security Researchgoogleprivacy-violationftctrackingsafari+3 more
Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion in a strategic move explicitly designed to neutralize a potential competitive threat. The acquisition was part of a systematic strategy to prevent emerging social media platforms from challenging Facebook’s market dominance. With Instagram having 27 …
Mark ZuckerbergFacebook Inc.Instagram Inc.Kevin SystromMike Krieger+1 moreregulatory-capturetech-industryantitrustfacebookmeta+2 more
Facebook acquired photo-sharing app Instagram for billion, implementing what the FTC would later characterize as a ‘buy or bury’ strategy to eliminate competitive threats. Internal emails revealed CEO Mark Zuckerberg explicitly stated the acquisition was motivated by a desire to …
Facebook Inc.Mark ZuckerbergInstagram Inc.Kevin SystromMike Krieger+1 moreregulatory-capturetech-industryantitrustfacebookmeta+1 more
Facebook acquired photo-sharing app Instagram for billion, implementing what the FTC would later characterize as a “buy or bury” strategy to eliminate competitive threats. Internal emails revealed CEO Mark Zuckerberg explicitly stated the acquisition was motivated by a desire to …
Facebook Inc.Mark ZuckerbergInstagram Inc.Kevin SystromMike Krieger+1 moreregulatory-capturetech-industryantitrustfacebookmeta+1 more
On April 13, 2008, Google completed its $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick, the dominant online advertising server and ad exchange operator. The merger, approved by the Federal Trade Commission in December 2007, combined Google’s search advertising dominance with DoubleClick’s …
GoogleDoubleClickFederal Trade CommissionPamela Jones Harbour (dissenting FTC Commissioner)David Rosenblatt (DoubleClick CEO)googledoubleclickmergerantitrustftc+3 more