The FTC's Top Consumer Protection Official Can't Go After Facebook -- or 100 Other Companies

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.

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