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 …
Democratic FTC Commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya warned that the Trump administration’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ (DOGE) was seeking access to highly sensitive, confidential business records that could potentially manipulate markets. They emphasized that under no …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …