The FTC announcement said that "censorship by technology platforms is not just un-American, it is potentially illegal." Tech platforms' actions "may harm consumers, affect competition, may have resulted from a lack of competition, or may have been the product of anti-competitive conduct," the FTC said.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission launched a public inquiry on Thursday on how technology platforms deny or degrade users’ access to services based on the content of their speech, it said in a statement.

The agency invites people to testify about platforms blocking or impeding their ability to share ideas, which new FTC Chair Andrew N. Ferguson calls 'un-American [and] potentially illegal.'

The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it will investigate alleged censorship on tech platforms, explaining that any wrongdoing would “have violated the law.” “Tech firms should not be bullying their users,