Verifying against the live site and live WHOIS/DNS…
Common questions
Is ftc.gov legit or a scam?
ftc.gov was registered Oct 2, 1997 (29 years old), per public registration records. AboutUs doesn't label sites "legit" or "a scam": this page lists the dated registration, DNS, HTTPS, mail-authentication and safety checks we could verify, each with its source, so you can decide for yourself.
Who owns ftc.gov?
Nobody has completed AboutUs's owner verification for ftc.gov. That's true of most sites here — it isn't itself a warning sign.
When was ftc.gov registered?
ftc.gov's registration dates to Oct 2, 1997 (29 years old), per public registration records. get.gov is the registrar on record today.
Correct a description, link or other detail. Submissions are reviewed before publication.
Registered 1997 · site is live · HTTPS valid
Federal Trade Commission | Protecting America's Consumers
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the U.S. federal agency that enforces competition and consumer protection laws to prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. It serves American consumers and businesses through enforcement actions, legal guidance, consumer advice, and fraud reporting. The site states the FTC has been protecting America's consumers for over 100 years.
Checked in the last 30 daysOlder, dated recordFrom registration records
Registered 29 years ago · on AboutUs since 2006 · 1 registrar change since Nov 21, 2023 · no ownership change on record since 2023 · last checked Oct 25, 2026.
Registration
RegisteredOct 2, 1997ftc.gov was registered on Oct 2, 1997.Source: RDAP, fetched Oct 25, 2026
AboutUs record
AboutUs wiki pageAboutUs wiki pageJun 20, 2006 – Nov 11, 2013An AboutUs wiki page described ftc.gov from Jun 20, 2006 to Nov 11, 2013 (8 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023Said about itself in 2006
Registrar
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security AgencyNov 21, 2023 – Nov 8, 2024Registrar Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for ftc.gov, from Nov 21, 2023 to Nov 8, 2024.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)get.gov
Ownership
Ownership recordsNov 21, 2023 – Jun 14, 2026Registration records for ftc.gov are held from Nov 21, 2023 to Jun 14, 2026 (96 records). None shows a change of registrant. Privacy-service and redaction changes are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
No ownership changes recorded, 2023–2026
Zone file
Nameservers: AkamaiNameservers: AkamaiNov 21, 2023 – Jun 14, 2026Registration records listed Akamai nameservers (a1-252.akam.net, a24-67.akam.net, a26-64.akam.net…) for ftc.gov from Nov 21, 2023 to Jun 14, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Certificate
DigiCert IncDigiCert IncSep 9, 2025 – Oct 26, 2026 (latest)DigiCert Inc issued 21 certificates for ftc.gov from Sep 9, 2025, the latest valid until May 7, 2027. Seen in use on Oct 17, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Oct 17, 2026Amazon
200020102020Jan ’26Oct ’26← last 12 months, drawn wider
Every dated fact on this lifeline (13)
Oct 2, 1997Registration: ftc.gov was registered on Oct 2, 1997.Source: RDAP, fetched Oct 25, 2026
Jun 20, 2006 – Nov 11, 2013AboutUs record: An AboutUs wiki page described ftc.gov from Jun 20, 2006 to Nov 11, 2013 (8 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Jul 1, 2006AboutUs record: “If you send us an email, you should know that email is not necessarily secure against interception. So, if your communication includes sensitive information like your bank account, charge card, or social security number…”Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006
Nov 21, 2023 – Nov 8, 2024Registrar: Registrar Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for ftc.gov, from Nov 21, 2023 to Nov 8, 2024.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Nov 21, 2023 – Jun 14, 2026Ownership: Registration records for ftc.gov are held from Nov 21, 2023 to Jun 14, 2026 (96 records). None shows a change of registrant. Privacy-service and redaction changes are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Nov 21, 2023 – Jun 14, 2026
All 4 safety checks passed (Oct 26, 2026).
Automated safety checks
DNS (passed)
HTTPS (passed)
Page metadata (passed)
Security headers (passed)
Current facts
Latest available measurements; dated entries retain their dates. These are measurements, not an endorsement of the site.
latest result
Federal Trade Commission — company name on record since 2006; still matches the live site.
latest result
Domain registered Oct 2, 1997 — 29 years old.
Jul 1, 2006
“If you send us an email, you should know that email is not necessarily secure against interception. So, if your communication includes sensitive information like your bank account, charge card, or social security number…”
Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006
Current AboutUs recordJun 21, 2026 – Oct 25, 2026 (latest)Authority and Safety last refreshed Oct 25, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
get.gov
Nov 21, 2024 – Oct 25, 2026 (latest)
Registrar get.gov (IANA 8888888) in the registration data recorded, first on Nov 21, 2024 and most recently on Oct 25, 2026.
Source: RDAP, fetched Oct 25, 2026
Seen in the .gov zone file
Jul 28, 2026 – Jul 29, 2026 (latest)
First seen in the .gov zone file records AboutUs holds on Jul 28, 2026; latest sighting Jul 29, 2026.
Source: ICANN CZDS zone file
AmazonSep 23, 2025 – Oct 26, 2026Amazon issued 7 certificates for ftc.gov from Sep 23, 2025, the latest valid until Apr 13, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
IdenTrustFeb 24, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026IdenTrust issued 11 certificates for ftc.gov from Feb 24, 2026, the latest valid until Mar 1, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Let's EncryptMar 20, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Let's Encrypt issued 35 certificates for ftc.gov from Mar 20, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 21, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Zone file: Registration records listed Akamai nameservers (a1-252.akam.net, a24-67.akam.net, a26-64.akam.net…) for ftc.gov from Nov 21, 2023 to Jun 14, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Nov 21, 2024 – Oct 25, 2026Registrar: Registrar get.gov (IANA 8888888) in the registration data recorded, first on Nov 21, 2024 and most recently on Oct 25, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Oct 25, 2026
Sep 9, 2025 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: DigiCert Inc issued 21 certificates for ftc.gov from Sep 9, 2025, the latest valid until May 7, 2027. Seen in use on Oct 17, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Oct 17, 2026
Sep 23, 2025 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: Amazon issued 7 certificates for ftc.gov from Sep 23, 2025, the latest valid until Apr 13, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Feb 24, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: IdenTrust issued 11 certificates for ftc.gov from Feb 24, 2026, the latest valid until Mar 1, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Mar 20, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: Let's Encrypt issued 35 certificates for ftc.gov from Mar 20, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 21, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Jun 21, 2026 – Oct 25, 2026AboutUs record: Authority and Safety last refreshed Oct 25, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Jul 28, 2026 – Jul 29, 2026Zone file: First seen in the .gov zone file records AboutUs holds on Jul 28, 2026; latest sighting Jul 29, 2026.Source: ICANN CZDS zone file
latest result
Registrar on record: get.gov — unchanged since AboutUs began tracking (Jul 23, 2026).
latest result
HTTPS request succeeded for www.ftc.gov.
checked Sep 29, 2026
The site names Federal Trade Commission as the organisation behind it.
checked Sep 29, 2026
The live front page reads as a government or public-body site that is a public service, mainly for the public as customers.
Authority 97/100— ahead of 97% of the August 2026 scored sampleClear
Why this authority score
97 is a percentile: higher than 97% of sites we score.
How it's calculated
Prominence (Tranco rank #1,480)+11
Verified continuity: 29.1 years (RDAP registration)+11
Identity corroboration (capped)+4
Security & email hygiene+5
Calibration adjustment (published map)+21
Model score: 52/99 — what these reason lines add up to.
Published Authority (percentile): 97/100 — this site's rank against the August 2026 scored sample. Public Authority is capped at 99.
Safety evidence
No unexpired threat-feed result; name-similarity check available (recorded about 1 days ago); 3/3 transport and email checks available (oldest recorded about 1 days ago). This is evidence coverage, not a probability that a website is safe.
No caution flags in the available scoring observations; this is not a complete safety assessment
What ftc.gov said about itself, 2006
Quoted from the site's AboutUs wiki page in each year it changed (1 version). These are the page's own words at the time, not AboutUs's assessment. New words · dropped words
2006
If you send us an email, you should know that email is not necessarily secure against interception. So, if your communication includes sensitive information like your bank account, charge card, or social security number, and you prefer not to use one of our secure online forms, contact us by postal mail or telephone.
Now
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the U.S. federal agency that enforces competition and consumer protection laws to prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. It serves American consumers and businesses through enforcement actions, legal guidance, consumer advice, and fraud reporting. The site states the FTC has been protecting America's consumers for over 100 years.
AboutUs summary of the current website, Sep 30, 2026.
Site history
Dated record — historical facts always carry their date; self-description below is the 2013 record.
1997
Domain registered (Oct 2, 1997).
2006
First tracked by AboutUs (Jun 20, 2006); profile edited 8 times through 2013.
2013
Self-description at the time:
“FTC.gov is the Federal Trade Commission, a consumer protection agency.”