Comment from Heartbeat International

July 2, 2026 BY ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION Before the Federal Trade Commission Office of the Secretary FTC Docket No. C-4316 RE: Comment on X Corp.’s Petition to Reopen and Set Aside or Modify FTC Order Heartbeat International, Inc. supports X Corp.’s petition to terminate or modify the consent decree that has governed the company since 2011 and was extended in 2022 for an additional twenty years. This proceeding presents an important opportunity for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to reaffirm its commitment to viewpoint-neutral enforcement, the protection of free expression, and the appropriate limits of government authority. Americans have significant and well-founded concerns about the relationship between government agencies and private platforms that facilitate public discourse. During the Biden administration, businesses, media organizations, advocacy groups, religious institutions, and technology companies repeatedly faced disparate treatment based on their perceived political viewpoints or their willingness to challenge prevailing narratives. These concerns extended beyond any single company and implicated broader questions about whether government power was being exercised in a manner consistent with constitutional principles. Regulatory enforcement should never be used, or appear to be used, to pressure private entities into suppressing lawful speech or to punish organizations because of their viewpoints. The widespread use of “misinformation” and “disinformation” allegations illustrates the importance of maintaining clear boundaries between legitimate consumer protection and governmental influence over protected expression. Heartbeat International is actively fighting for truth through allegations of “misinformation” from politically motivated attorneys general who believe contested medical claims are actionable under consumer protection and false advertising laws. Efforts to encourage deplatforming, restrict access to digital forums, or facilitate advertising blacklists against organizations based on their viewpoints risk undermining the free exchange of ideas that is essential to a democratic society. The appropriate response to controversial or unpopular speech is open debate—not government pressure that directly or indirectly incentivizes censorship. In the past several years, politically motivated groups like the Center for Countering Digital Hate have relied on erroneous information and demanded that Google and Facebook remove any and all ads mentioning Abortion Pill Reversal. Given our experiences with tech censorship and weaponization, Heartbeat has reason to believe that such political opponents may use any tools at their disposal–including the weaponization of a future, politically compliant FTC–to encourage third party platforms (like X) to silence such conversations. The FTC has an important responsibility to enforce consumer protection laws fairly and consistently. Equally important, however, is ensuring that its enforcement authority is exercised without regard to political viewpoints or ideological disagreements. Public confidence in the Commission depends upon the perception and reality that its actions are impartial, narrowly tailored to legitimate statutory objectives, and free from political influence. This petition provides the FTC with an opportunity to reaffirm that government agencies must not use regulatory authority to coerce speech, encourage censorship, or impose disparate treatment on organizations because of their protected expression. By carefully considering the broader constitutional and policy implications raised in X Corp.’s petition, the Commission can help strengthen public trust and reinforce the fundamental principles of free speech, viewpoint neutrality, and evenhanded enforcement. For these reasons, I respectfully encourage the FTC to give serious consideration to X Corp.’s petition and to ensure that its final decision reflects the importance of protecting free expression, preventing viewpoint-based enforcement, and maintaining appropriate limits on governmental power. Sincerely, Jor-El Godsey, President Heartbeat International