Federal Trade Commission

Some of the key events about Federal Trade Commission

• 1914

  Established to prevent unfair methods of competition in commerce
• 1914

  Failed to prevent the formation of U.S. Steel, allowing the creation of the world's first billion-dollar corporation
• 1920

  Criticized for ineffective enforcement of antitrust laws during the post-World War I merger wave
• 1935

  Faced accusations of overstepping its authority in attempting to regulate the insurance industry
• 1938

  Granted authority to protect consumers against unfair and deceptive trade practices
• 1950

  Issued guidelines for proper use of "Made in USA" labels
• 1969

  Criticized for inadequate consumer protection measures during the rise of cigarette advertising
• 1975

  Created the Bureau of Consumer Protection to enforce consumer protection laws
• 1979

  Implemented the Used Car Rule, requiring dealers to provide warranty information
• 1980

  Accused of lax enforcement of antitrust laws during the Reagan administration
• 1998

  Launched the National Do Not Call Registry to reduce unwanted telemarketing calls
• 1998

  Failed to prevent the merger of Exxon and Mobil, creating one of the world's largest oil companies
• 2003

  Enacted the CAN-SPAM Act to regulate commercial email practices
• 2006

  Criticized for not doing enough to protect consumers from identity theft and data breaches
• 2009

  Introduced rules to protect consumers from unfair credit card practices
• 2010

  Implemented the Red Flags Rule to combat identity theft
• 2011

  Faced criticism for settling with Google over privacy violations without imposing significant penalties
• 2013

  Failed to prevent the merger of American Airlines and US Airways, reducing competition in the airline industry
• 2019

  Imposed a $5 billion penalty on Facebook for violating users' privacy
• 2019

  Criticized for imposing a relatively small $5 billion fine on Facebook for privacy violations

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.