Alvaro Martin Bedoya[1] (born February 21, 1982) is an American attorney and government official who has served on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) since 2022.
He then founded and directed the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law, where he also served as a Professor of Law.[9] Bedoya is known for his opposition to government surveillance, and has argued that the right to privacy is a civil liberty.[10] In a 2018 article in The New York Times, Bedoya criticized Facebook, Google, and other technology companies for alleged violations of user privacy rights.[11] Bedoya advocated for the removal of advertisements for payday loan services on Google, stating that the "internet should not be a place that profits from your weaknesses".[12]
In September 2021, Bedoya was nominated for the FTC seat held by Rohit Chopra. Bedoya's nomination was praised by now-FTC Chair Khan, who stated that Bedoya's "expertise on surveillance and data security and his longstanding commitment to public service would be enormously valuable to the Commission" in a press release.[16]
On December 1, 2021, the Senate Commerce Committee deadlocked on his nomination.[17] On March 3, 2022, the committee once again deadlocked on Bedoya's nomination, forcing the full Senate to move to discharge it.[18] On March 30, 2022, his nomination was discharged by the full Senate.[19][20]
Bedoya was confirmed by the full Senate on May 11, 2022, by a vote of 51-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.[21]
Tenure
Bedoya was sworn in on May 16, 2022 for a term running until September 25, 2026.[22] According to Politico, Bedoya has been recognized for having "policy expertise on tech-driven consumer harms outside of antitrust", with a particular focus on data privacy issues.[23]
As a member of the FTC, Bedoya has advocated for reviving enforcement of the Robinson–Patman Act, a 1936 law that prohibits price discrimination.[24] Alongside Democratic colleagues Khan and Rebecca Slaughter, Bedoya voted in favor of bringing an antitrust lawsuit against Meta's acquisition of Within in 2022.[25]
Recognition
2022 NHMC DC Impact Awards (NHMC Impact Award Digital Advocacy)[26]