Federal Trade Commission

The Federal Trade Commission is an independent United States agency that enforces federal consumer-protection and competition laws through investigations, rulemaking, and legal proceedings.

Federal Trade Commission Act: A 1914 United States law that created the FTC and prohibits unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices. This statute establishes the agency and supplies its central enforcement authority.
Advertising regulation: Government oversight of advertising claims and practices under consumer-protection laws. The FTC challenges advertising that misleads consumers or lacks adequate support.
Progressive Era: A period of political and social reform in the United States from the 1890s to the 1920s. Progressive reformers pressed for federal oversight that helped produce the FTC.
United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division: The Department of Justice division that enforces federal antitrust laws through civil and criminal proceedings. It shares federal antitrust enforcement with the FTC but can bring criminal cases.
FTC Act Section 5: The Federal Trade Commission Act provision prohibiting unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Section 5 is the FTC’s principal tool against deceptive conduct and unfair competition.
Consumer privacy: The protection and governance of personal information collected or used by organizations. The FTC uses consumer-protection authority to address certain harmful data practices.
Theodore Roosevelt: The 26th president of the United States, whose administration pursued federal antitrust enforcement and corporate regulation. His trust-busting politics helped make stronger federal business oversight a national issue.
Securities and Exchange Commission: An independent United States agency that regulates securities markets and protects investors. Its investor-protection mandate differs from the FTC’s general consumer and competition jurisdiction.
FTC Rulemaking: The process by which the Federal Trade Commission issues rules interpreting or implementing laws within its authority. Rules let the agency define obligations that apply beyond individual enforcement cases.
Merger control: Government review of business combinations for their potential effects on competition. The FTC reviews mergers and may seek to block those it believes threaten competition.

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