US FTC probes YouTube over social media policies, Bloomberg News reports

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is in the final stages of investigating whether YouTube, owned by Alphabet, violated consumer protection laws, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. According to sources familiar with the probe, the FTC has been examining YouTube since last year and may file a lawsuit, though the inquiry could conclude without enforcement action.

The probe is focusing on whether YouTube's content policies misled users about what they could post, leading to later removal of content or account suspensions. The investigation is led by lawyers from the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, with some FTC staff privately opposing a lawsuit. FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson has stated that companies must adhere to the speech and content policies they present to consumers. The FTC is also pursuing other investigations involving Alphabet.