Consumers Could Gain from FTC’s Stronger Focus on Data Protection

Oct 6, 2021 | Privacy & Security

The Federal Trade Commission could go harder on consumer privacy protection and cybersecurity with President Biden’s recent nomination of digital “privacy hawk” and law professor Alvaro Bedoya and House Democrats’ proposal to allocate $1 billion for a new privacy and data security bureau.

If confirmed, Bedoya will join Biden’s other pick, antitrust expert and now FTC chair, Lina Khan. Both are prominent critics of Big Tech data collection and surveillance and seen as a potentially “formidable regulatory presence” in reining in the tech industry. 

As founding director of the Center on Privacy & Technology think tank at Georgetown University and former chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, Bedoya’s work is in major privacy tech issues including mobile location data, stalkerware and facial recognition.

Bedoya is known for his bipartisan approach to privacy as a human right. We look forward to seeing what comes next for data protection.


Photo By Mark Van Scyoc

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