FTC Social Media Chats

Twitter Chats

Twitter chats are a great way for people to connect with each other at the same time to discuss a specific topic of interest on Twitter. The FTC hosts or participates in Twitter chats in real-time to share news of interest and answer questions about the work the agency is doing to protect America’s consumers and ensure competition in the marketplace. We’ve chatted about cases when they’ve been made public, new reports by FTC staff, and consumer and business education.

Chats are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to participate. Interested in joining staff during an upcoming chat? Check out the FTC's Events page for the current schedule. We generally promote each chat there, on the FTC's primary Twitter account (@FTC), and through email updates.

Have an idea for a chat? Let us know! Email socialmedia@ftc.gov.

Twitter Chat Guidelines

  1. We use Twitter’s quote feature to answer questions during a Twitter chat. This means we will “quote” a tweet, and provide an answer attached to that tweet. (In the past, we did a Q1/A1 format). You can see samples in our transcripts below of both styles.
  2. Unless posted otherwise, chats are limited to 60 minutes.
  3. We’ll answer questions from as many different participants as possible before going back to someone who has already asked a question.
  4. Remember that we cannot discuss non-public information, but will try to answer as many questions from participants as possible in the time allowed.
  5. For more details about how we maintain records including Twitter handles, please read our Twitter Privacy Impact Assessment.

The following is a list of transcripts of previous FTC Twitter chats (2015 and older):

Other Platforms

While FTC staff may host regular Twitter Chats, we also participate occasionally in social chats on a variety of other platforms.

Some past examples include Facebook and reddit. Chats on these platforms tend to be easier to follow as the host may post one status update, and participants submit their questions within a common comment thread. However, the specific details will vary across platforms. Chat times may also vary, but staff will do their best to alert participants to the length of the chat in advance, and give updates about their live participation throughout the chat.

FTC may also use Facebook Live to broadcast events, including workshops and press conferences, or to connect with consumers to provide additional tips and resources.

For information about how the FTC uses these third-party sites including any record retention, please review the relevant Privacy Impact Assessment.

Here are transcripts from the FTC’s previous social chats (2015 and older):

TopicDateSiteDetails
FTC Robocall Contests Ask Me AnythingJune 2015RedditPatty Hsue from the Bureau of Consumer Protection’s Division of Marketing Practices participated in a reddit AMA about the FTC’s robocall contests, DetectaRobo and Robocalls: Humanity Strikes Back. Contest judges and our contest partner, Pindrop Security, also participated in the conversation.
Ask Me Almost AnythingNovember 2013RedditCommission Maureen Ohlhausen participated in a reddit AMAA about data security, privacy, and more.
Business Opportunity ScamsNovember 2012FacebookFTC Staff Attorney Janice Kopec answered questions about the FTC’s crackdown on Business Opportunity Scams.
FTC Robocall ChallengeOctober 2012FacebookFTC staff attorney Kati Daffan answered questions about the agency’s first public challenge.
GoogleAugust 2012FacebookFTC staff attorneys Megan Gray and Megan Bartley answered questions live about the FTC’s settlement with Google.
RobocallsJuly 2012FacebookFTC staff attorney Kati Daffan answered questions live about the FTC's new robocalls initiatives.
Skechers SettlementMay 2012FacebookFTC East Central Region attorney Larissa Bungo answered questions live about the FTC’s settlement with Skechers.
Final FTC Privacy ReportMarch 2012FacebookChris Olsen answered questions live about the FTC’s final privacy report.