White House OSTP Applauds Launch of New FTC Office of Technology
WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched a new Office of Technology to strengthen the FTC’s capacity to protect Americans in the digital economy. Alexander Macgillivray, Principal Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Assistant to the President released the following statement applauding the move:
“FTC has shown leadership in protecting Americans’ privacy and civil rights against harms from excessive data collection and the use of automated systems. A deep understanding of the technology and data at play in the modern economy is critical to these actions and accomplishing FTC’s broader mission of rooting out unfair and deceptive business practices and unfair competition. Launching the Office of Technology is a huge step forward in building the FTC’s technical expertise and capacity. For that reason, OSTP is thrilled at the creation of this new Office today.”
FTC’s new Office of Technology will have dedicated staff and resources to support investigations, advance policy and research initiatives, and engage with the public. It will be led by the FTC’s Chief Technology Officer Stephanie T. Nguyen.
This announcement complements the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions to promote competition and protect Americans in the digital economy. In July 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order that promoted competition across the American economy, including in the technology sector. And, just yesterday, President Biden signed an Executive Order advancing equity in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated systems. This builds on the Administration’s previous work to develop the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, which provides principles and practices to advance equity, protect privacy, and safeguard other democratic values in the use of AI and other automated systems.
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