Sep 13, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Biden to tap privacy hawk for FTC post

Margaret Harding McGill

The FTC building in Washington, D.C. — Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

President Biden will nominate Georgetown University law professor Alvaro Bedoya to be a Democratic commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, people familiar with the matter told Axios.

Why it matters: Bedoya, founding director of the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown, will bring a bevy of experience on privacy issues to the FTC's work on tech.

Between the lines: If confirmed, Bedoya will solidify the Democratic majority at the FTC with current commissioner Rohit Chopra set to leave the agency as Biden's nominee to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Bedoya previously was chief counsel of the Senate Judiciary privacy subcommittee and worked on issues including mobile location data and facial recognition.

The big picture: FTC chair Lina Khan brought expertise on Big Tech antitrust, and Bedoya would bring similar expertise on tech privacy.

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Scoop: Biden to tap privacy hawk for FTC post

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