Tech@FTC

Because the FTC’s consumer protection and competition missions cut across so many technology industries, some call it the “Federal Technology Commission.” With only a few exceptions, the FTC protects consumers and competition across the entire economy. Technology now pervades every industry, so we constantly encounter new technologies as part of our job. See the bottom of this post for an extensive list, with links to examples, of technologies and industries where the FTC has experience or expertise.

We are pleased to announce that OTech’s research on cross device tracking has been accepted for publication in the Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies, and is available online now. This paper stems from research OTech presented at the FTC Cross-Device Tracking workshop, and OTech continues to be interested in this emerging area.

With the FTC’s 2017 PrivacyCon event on January 12 and various other privacy-related events in the area that week, Washington, DC will see an influx of Privacy Researchers in early January. Given this short-term wealth of privacy experts, we’re taking the opportunity to host a pre-PrivacyCon networking event on January 11, 2:30 to 4:30 pm.

With the stroke of a pen, the Librarian of Congress has authorized security researchers who are acting in good faith to conduct controlled research on consumer devices so long as the research does not violate other laws such as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). This temporary exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) begins today. The new temporary exemption is a big win for security researchers and for consumers who will benefit from increased security testing of the products they use.

In order to protect consumers in our tech economy, we could use the help of some smart and creative technologists. That’s why I’m headed to Las Vegas this week with members of the Office of Technology Research and Investigation and other FTC folks to attend BSidesLV and DEF CON. We want to learn from security and privacy researchers and let them know about our research interests.

A few weeks ago an unknown person walked into a mobile phone store, claimed to be me, asked to upgrade my mobile phones, and walked out with two brand new iPhones assigned to my telephone numbers. My phones immediately stopped receiving calls, and I was left with a large bill and the anxiety and fear of financial injury that spring from identity theft.

Last week I spoke at a White House event “Opportunities & Challenges: Open Police Data and Ensuring the Safety and Security of Victims of Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault.” This event brought together representatives from government agencies, police departments, and advocacy groups to discuss the potential safety and privacy impact of open police data initiatives.