President Joe Biden has nominated Alvaro Bedoya as commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission. He will be replacing Democratic Commissioner Rohi Chopra, who has been named to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
If he is confirmed, Bedoya, who has been critical of facial recognition tech and is a big advocate of privacy protections, is joining an agency focused on reining in Big Tech and its perceived anticompetitive conduct.
The White House was also touting his experience helping lead a coalition "that successfully pressed an [i]nternet giant to drop ads for online payday loans.
Bedoya was the first chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, including conducting oversight of Big Tech.
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Democratic House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (N.J.), also a big privacy advocate, was pleased with the pick.
“I congratulate Mr. Bedoya on his nomination and commend President Biden for selecting a pro-consumer advocate to join the FTC," he said. "Protecting consumers from data privacy abuses, identity theft, fraud, and other unfair and deceptive practices is core to the agency’s mission. Mr. Bedoya will make a strong addition to the Commission, particularly with his extensive background in technology and privacy law, and I trust that he will make an excellent Commissioner. I wish him a speedy confirmation and look forward to working together to protect consumers.”
“USTelecom congratulates Professor Bedoya on his nomination to the Federal Trade Commission, an agency that plays a vital role in our connected economy. Our members look forward to working with him on priorities at the top of the FTC’s consumer protection agenda, specifically advancing a national privacy framework that respects and protects consumers across the entire internet ecosystem," said USTelecom President Jonathan Spalter. "We’re also eager to strengthen our partnership to crack down on illegal robocalls and take back our phones from the scammers and spoofers polluting our communications networks.”
