Online privacy advocate Justin Brookman will join the Federal Trade Commission as policy director in its new Office of Technology Research and Investigation, he announced on Twitter Monday.
The FTC's new office was founded in March to protect consumers from “deceptive and unfair practices involving new technologies.” Brookman comes to the FTC from the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology, where he has worked since 2010.
Brookman had led the center's Consumer Privacy Project until June, coordinating the organization's advocacy on the protection of personal information.
While working at the center, Brookman lobbied policymakers to enact comprehensive privacy legislation in the U.S. and stronger privacy laws in Europe. He testified on data security and consumer privacy before House and Senate committees and led the center's filing of formal complaints with the FTC against companies that violate users' privacy and free expression rights.
Brookman's congressional testimony has raised concerns about privacy breaches while wearing health devices as well as the expediency of notifications in incidents like the massive Anthem hack this year. Prior to joining the center, Justin was chief of the Internet bureau of the New York state attorney general's office.
