The Federal Trade Commission has appointed a new Chief Technologist, its second-ever: Steven M. Bellovin, a professor of computer science at Columbia University, will take over the role held for the past two years by Edward W. Felten, director of the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton.
The FTC said in creating the role that the Chief Technologist was designed to “advise the agency on evolving technology and policy issues.”
Read Bellovin’s first thoughts as Chief Technologist, published Friday on the Tech@FTC blog. As he writes:
The FTC polices the online marketplace. While that often involves addressing complex issues, one essential requirement is that companies must keep the promises they make to consumers. If an organization’s privacy policy says that it won’t sell your personal information but it does, that’s deceptive under FTC law. Similarly, if it promises to “keep your personal information secure” but doesn’t follow industry-standard practices, that, too, can constitute deception. In such cases, the FTC can act.
