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The FTC's Top Consumer Protection Official Can't Go After Facebook -- or 100 Other Companies (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the how-about-that dept.

The Federal Trade Commission's top consumer protection official is prohibited from handling the cases involving 120 different companies, including Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and Uber, according to financial disclosure documents published by Public Citizen this week. From a report: Andrew Smith, who heads the FTCs Consumer Protection Bureau, would be in charge of handling investigations into some of the country's largest companies and any consumer protection violations that may occur. But due to his conflicts of interest, Smith is barred from participating in any investigations involving the companies he previously provided legal services for. "It's a big world out there, and the FTC has very broad jurisdictions," Smith said to The Verge. "There are plenty of investigations that I'm involved in." Smith was approved by a 3-2 Republican majority in May.

4 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. bullshit story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No - he can't be in charge of the investigations
    Yes - he can delegate those investigations to other officers under him - just like happens in the Justice Department.
    I'm sure the Verge was all up in arms when Maxine Waters was re-upped to the banking committee in the house after she abused her powers to cut out a sweet deal for her husband's bank.

  2. Re:Anothe reason why "independence" is bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    the chairmanship of the ftc is a presidential appointment. why the fuck you think the moron in the white house was instructed to make him the chair? because he can't do shit with all these big companies.

  3. Re:Anothe reason why "independence" is bad by ilsaloving · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Independence isn't the problem. The problem is that they hired someone who can't do the job due to conflict of interest.

    This would be no different if he was voted in or appointed. Of course, the way the rest of this administration is managed, I can't help but go into conspiracy theory territory and think that this was done intentionally to make it harder for the FTC to do it's job.

  4. Citizens United by sdinfoserv · · Score: 3, Insightful

    THIS is EXACTLY why we need to pull corporate money out of politics AND reign in lobbyists. Bar lobbyists from serving on high level posts.