NewsGuard Sues FTC Over Probe Into Alleged Advertising Boycotts

NewsGuard Technologies Inc. filed a lawsuit claiming the Federal Trade Commission’s probe into alleged advertising boycotts against conservative websites was simply retaliation by the US regulator against the company for exercising its constitutional right to free speech.

NewsGuard provides ratings software used by consumers and advertisers to make decisions about the accuracy and reliability of websites. The company accused Chairman Andrew Ferguson and the FTC of using their “considerable regulatory powers to attack and punish a private news organization” in order to “impose their view of speech nirvana,” according to a complaint filed Friday in federal court in Washington.

The ...