Apply It 5.5: Consumer Protection Laws

Lumen Learning

Apply It 5.5: Consumer Protection Laws

Recognize laws that protect consumers
Understand how antitrust legislation benefits consumers

Consumer Protection

Federal Trade Commission

One of the federal agencies that works to protect consumers is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Check out the FTC website and explore the following:

How can you check your credit report for free?

Watch this short video to learn why a credit report is important and how you can see yours for free.
What is identity theft and how do you report it?

Check out this webpage that tells you what identity theft is and what you can do to protect yourself.
How do you tell if a money-making opportunity is real or a scam?

The FTC explains common signs of scams on their website. Don’t be fooled!

Antitrust Laws

Is Google a Monopoly?

Google has faced significant legal scrutiny over its dominance in online search and digital advertising. In August 2024, a federal judge ruled that Google had illegally maintained a monopoly in the search engine market, citing its multibillion-dollar agreements with companies like Apple to secure default search engine status on devices.^[1] In April 2025, another federal court found that Google had unlawfully monopolized the digital advertising market by using its control over key advertising tools—like the software websites used to sell ad space and the system that runs the auctions for those ads—to shut out competitors.^[2]

To make the tech industry more competitive, the U.S. Department of Justice has suggested that Google should be required to separate some of its businesses. For example, Google might have to sell off its Chrome web browser or its advertising tools so that no single company controls so many parts of how people use the internet and how ads are sold online.^[3]

Do you believe that Google’s business practices constitute a monopoly?

How might breaking up parts of Google’s business impact consumers, advertisers, and the tech industry as a whole?

Belanger, Ashley. 2024. “Google Loses DOJ’s Big Monopoly Trial over Search Business.” Ars Technica. August 5, 2024. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/08/google-loses-dojs-big-monopoly-trial-over-search-business/. ↵
Liedtke, Michael. 2025. “Google’s Digital Ad Network Declared an Illegal Monopoly.” AP News. April 17, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/google-illegal-monopoly-advertising-search-a1e4446c4870903ed05c03a2a03b581e. ↵
Snyder, Brady. 2025. “Google Calls the US Department of Justice’s Proposed Antitrust Remedies ‘Extreme.’” Android Central. May 9, 2025. https://www.androidcentral.com/apps-software/google-calls-the-us-department-of-justices-antitrust-remedies-extreme. ↵