Federal Trade Commission

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an agency of the United States federal government and was originally founded in 1914. The FTCs mission is consumer protection, and the group works to prevent monopolies, false advertising, fraud and other anti-competitive business practices. The FTC drafts rules and regulations that are designed to protect consumers from a range of deceptive and fraudulent business practices. The agency has three main branches that fulfill specialized functions. The Bureau of Consumer Protection is designed to safeguard consumers from deceptive business practices such as false advertising. This department often works with cases of advertising, marketing and telemarketing. The Bureau of Competition works to eliminate anti-competitive practices in the business world. It files anti-trust laws and looks over many of the largest mergers and acquisitions. In addition, the FTC has a Bureau of Economics that offers insight into the impact of the agency's regulations and daily operations.