Before he was appointed Federal Trade Commission Chair, Andrew Ferguson promised he would “Fight Wokeness.” He said he would “Hold Big Tech Accountable and Stop Censorship,” “Fight back against the trans agenda,” and “Investigate and prosecute collusion on … advertiser boycotts.” Under his leadership, the FTC has opened investigations into each. A federal district court recently blocked an administrative subpoena sent to Media Matters, a non-profit that researches online harms, but the FTC has appealed. Courts are hearing motions to quash similar investigations into NewsGuard, which help advertisers protect their brands from being associated with hate speech or misinformation. Similar litigation is brewing over the FTC’s investigations into providers of gender-affirming care. The FTC has threatened Apple News and other tech companies with legal action for alleged political bias—and has open investigations into the editorial practices of all large tech companies.

Join us for a discussion of how the First Amendment limits the agency’s consumer protection and competition powers. Are these legitimate investigations or is the FTC jawboning over speech it doesn’t like? Will courts block these investigations? Could the FTC ultimately prevail on the merits? Does the FTC have the power to regulate private “censorship”? 

Date: Monday, March 30, 2026
Time: 12:00–2:00 pm ET
Location: Georgetown University Law Center, McDonough 5th Floor Faculty Lounge
Address: 600 New Jersey Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001

Click here for more details and to register (in-person event only).

Click here for Georgetown’s announcement.

Lunch will be served at noon, followed by the below panels:

Panel 1: Current Developments (12:10 pm to 1:00 pm)

Panel 2: What Will Courts Do? (1:10 pm – 2 pm)

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Find this event registration on our website. We can be reached for comment at media@techfreedom.org. Read our related work, including:

About TechFreedom: TechFreedom is a nonprofit, nonpartisan technology policy think tank. We work to chart a path forward for policymakers towards a bright future where technology enhances freedom, and freedom enhances technology.

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