YouTube’s social media rules are the subject of an EU investigation
According to persons familiar with the situation, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is in the final stages of drafting a prospective case and has been looking into whether YouTube violated consumer protection rules by suspending user accounts.
The probe coincides with FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson’s announcement that online platforms’ speech restrictions will be subject to more scrutiny.
The government has been looking into YouTube since last year to see if the Alphabet-owned video site. Which violated its own user regulations when it restricted or banned some content.
According to Bloomberg News, the probe is examining if YouTube’s content regulations caused people to sign up for the service thinking they could post specific video, only to have it later taken down or their accounts terminated.
According to the article, YouTube has not been charged with any misconduct, but it is unclear which accounts are part of the FTC probe. The investigations could end without any enforcement action, according to the article.
According to the newspaper, Chris Mufarrige is leading the inquiry, which is being carried out by lawyers from the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. In private, a few professional staff have voiced their disapproval of the case’s filing.
The FTC did not immediately reply to Reuters’ request for comment, and YouTube declined to comment.
«Leaks will never stop or slow down a single enforcement investigation or litigation at the FTC,» an FTC representative told Bloomberg, adding that the leaks will be referred to the proper authorities for examination.
