Markets Wired

Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez announced the appointments of Latanya Sweeney as the agency’s Chief Technologist and Andrea Matwyshyn as a Senior Policy Advisor on privacy and data security issues.

Dr. Sweeney is a professor of government and technology at Harvard University and the founder and director of Harvard’s data privacy lab.  She has testified before Congress and the European Commission and participated in numerous federal regulatory and advisory committees.  She is a fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics.  Sweeney holds a Ph.D. in computer science, master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Harvard.

Dr. Sweeney’s research has focused on the de-identification of data, developing privacy technologies, and the protection of health information. 

“Technology issues are increasingly central to the FTC’s work, and I am delighted to welcome Latanya to the FTC,” Chairwoman Ramirez said.  ”She has done groundbreaking work in the anonymization of sensitive consumer information and privacy technology, and I look forward to the contributions she will make to the FTC’s efforts to protect consumers.”

Dr. Sweeney will join the FTC as Chief Technologist in January; she will advise the agency on evolving technology and policy issues.

Dr. Matwyshyn is an assistant professor for legal studies and business ethics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an affiliate in the Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and a faculty affiliate of the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School.  She has a J.D, a Ph.D.in human development and social policy, and a master’s degree in international relations from Northwestern University.  Dr. Matwyshyn’s research focuses on technology and innovation, data security, consumer privacy, and technology entrepreneurship.

“Andrea is a rising academic star whose insights on the intersection of technology innovation and data privacy and security law will be enormously valuable to the FTC’s efforts to protect consumer privacy while promoting innovation,” Chairwoman Ramirez said. 

Dr. Matwyshyn will join the FTC’s Office of Policy Planning as a Senior Policy Advisor in December; she will advise the agency on privacy and data security policy issues.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.  To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.