Key facts
- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is investigating YouTube for potential violations of consumer protection laws.
- The probe centers on whether YouTube misled users about its content policies before suspending accounts.
- The FTC is reportedly in the final stages of preparing a potential lawsuit against the Alphabet-owned platform.
- Some career FTC staff have expressed disagreement with pursuing the case.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly nearing the end of an investigation into YouTube, with the agency preparing for a potential lawsuit. The probe, ongoing since last year, examines whether YouTube violated consumer protection laws by suspending user accounts and misrepresenting its content policies. Bloomberg News cited sources familiar with the matter, indicating that the FTC is looking into whether users were misled about what content was permissible before their accounts were banned or content demoted.