Alvaro Bedoya

Bedoya was born in 1982 in Lima, Peru, and was raised in Vestal, New York.{{Cite web|date=February 16, 2006|title=Fourteen win Soros Fellowships|url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2006/02/fourteen-win-soros-fellowships/|access-date=September 15, 2021|website=Harvard Gazette|language=en-US}} Bedoya received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. While at Yale, Bedoya served as an Editor on the Yale Law Journal.{{Cite web|title=Alvaro Bedoya|url=https://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/alvaro-bedoya/|access-date=September 13, 2021|language=en-US}}

During law school, Bedoya worked at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Wilmer Hale, and for Senator Ted Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security.{{Cite web|url=https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/BCCF5DB3-B68A-4B7B-B6A5-DB452F302CE5|title=Senate Commerce Committee Nominee Questionnaire}}

After law school, Bedoya was an associate at Wilmer Hale from 2007 to 2009. He then served as chief counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law.{{Cite web|date=February 1, 2021|title=The Dark Horse for Antitrust Chief, FTC|url=https://www.benton.org/headlines/dark-horse-antitrust-chief-ftc|access-date=September 13, 2021|website=Benton Foundation|language=en}} Bedoya also served as chief counsel to Senator Al Franken (D-MN).{{Cite web|title=Bio - Alvaro Bedoya|url=https://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO00/20170322/105757/HHRG-115-GO00-Bio-BedoyaA-20170322.pdf|url-status=live|website=United States House of Representatives|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602162947/http://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO00/20170322/105757/HHRG-115-GO00-Bio-BedoyaA-20170322.pdf |archive-date=June 2, 2017 }}

He then founded and directed the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law, where he also served as a Professor of Law.{{Cite web |title=Alvaro Bedoya |url=https://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/alvaro-bedoya/ |access-date=2022-03-30 |language=en-US}} Bedoya is known for his opposition to government surveillance, and has argued that the right to privacy is a civil liberty.{{Cite web|last=Buttar|first=Shahid|date=April 25, 2019|title=Alvaro Bedoya Highlights the Critical Connection between Civil Liberties and Civil Rights|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/04/dennis-chavez-memorial-lecture-alavaro-bedoya-highlights-critical-connection|access-date=September 13, 2021|website=Electronic Frontier Foundation|language=en}} In a 2018 article in The New York Times, Bedoya criticized Facebook, Google, and other technology companies for alleged violations of user privacy rights.{{Cite news|last=Bedoya|first=Alvaro M.|date=June 7, 2018|title=Opinion {{!}} A License to Discriminate|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/06/opinion/facebook-privacy-civil-rights-data-huawei-cambridge-analytica.html|access-date=September 13, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} 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".{{Cite web|last=Francisco|first=Shaun Nichols in San|title=Google kneecaps payday loan ads|url=https://www.theregister.com/2016/05/11/google_kneecaps_payday_loan_ads/|access-date=September 13, 2021|website=www.theregister.com|language=en}}

Bedoya's work has been published in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post,{{Cite news|last=Bedoya|first=Alvaro|date=March 22, 2017|title=Opinion {{!}} Who's logging your face?|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/whos-logging-your-face/2017/03/22/47d96142-0e67-11e7-ab07-07d9f521f6b5_story.html|access-date=September 15, 2021|issn=0190-8286}} and The Atlantic.{{Cite web|last=Bedoya|first=Alvaro M.|date=June 21, 2017|title=Deportation Is Going High-Tech Under Trump|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/06/data-driven-deportation/531090/|access-date=September 15, 2021|website=The Atlantic|language=en}}

In early 2021, Bedoya was considered by President Joe Biden as a potential nominee to chair the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) seat held by Joseph Simons.{{Cite web |last=Nylen |first=Leah |title=Biden picks two antitrust crusaders. But his biggest choices come next. |url=https://politi.co/3vist8j |access-date=September 13, 2021 |website=Politico PRO |date=March 9, 2021 |language=en}} However, Lina Khan was instead chosen for this position.

In September 2021, Bedoya was nominated for the FTC seat held by Rohit Chopra. Bedoya's nomination was praised by then-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.{{Cite web |date=September 13, 2021 |title=Statement of FTC Chair Lina M. Khan on the Nomination of Alvaro Bedoya to Serve as a Commissioner |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/09/statement-ftc-chair-lina-m-khan-nomination-alvaro-bedoya-serve |access-date=September 13, 2021 |website=Federal Trade Commission |language=en}}

On December 1, 2021, the Senate Commerce Committee deadlocked on his nomination.{{cite web |last1=Vittorio |first1=Andrea |title=Senate Commerce Deadlocks Over Bedoya's Nomination to FTC (1) |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/privacy-and-data-security/ftc-nominee-could-still-head-to-floor-despite-panels-tied-vote |website=Bloomberg Law |access-date=December 14, 2021}} On March 3, 2022, the committee once again deadlocked on Bedoya's nomination, forcing the full Senate to move to discharge it.{{cite news |last1=Zakrzewski |first1=Cat |title=Democrats move a step closer to breaking deadlocks at FTC and FCC |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/03/fcc-ftc-deadlock-biden/ |access-date=16 March 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=3 March 2022}} On March 30, 2022, his nomination was discharged by the full Senate.{{cite web |title=On the Motion to Discharge (Motion to Discharge: Alvaro M. Bedoya to be a Federal Trade Commissioner from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation) |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1172/vote_117_2_00115.htm |website=US Senate |access-date=11 May 2022}}{{Cite news |last=McKinnon |first=John D. |date=2022-03-30 |title=Senate Advances Bedoya Nomination to Federal Trade Commission |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-advances-bedoya-nomination-to-federal-trade-commission-11648665515 |access-date=2022-03-30 |issn=0099-9660}}

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.{{cite web |title=On the Nomination (Confirmation: Alvaro M. Bedoya, of Maryland, to be a Federal Trade Commissioner) |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1172/vote_117_2_00169.htm |website=US Senate |access-date=11 May 2022}}

Bedoya was sworn in on May 16, 2022 for a term running until September 25, 2026.{{cite web |title=Alvaro Bedoya Sworn in as FTC Commissioner |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/05/alvaro-bedoya-sworn-ftc-commissioner |website=FTC.gov |date=May 16, 2022 |access-date=13 June 2022}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Sisco |first=Josh |date=December 30, 2022 |title=The FTC's newest commissioner speaks |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/30/ftc-commissioner-alvaro-bedoya-interview-00075146 |access-date=January 19, 2023 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}

As a member of the FTC, Bedoya has advocated for reviving enforcement of the Robinson–Patman Act, a 1936 law that prohibits price discrimination.{{Cite web |last=Nylen |first=Leah |date=September 22, 2022 |title=FTC's Bedoya Presses for Return to Fairness Over Efficiency |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/antitrust/ftcs-bedoya-presses-for-return-to-fairness-over-efficiency |access-date=September 24, 2022 |website=Bloomberg Law |language=en}} Alongside Democratic colleagues Khan and Rebecca Slaughter, Bedoya voted in favor of bringing an antitrust lawsuit against Meta's acquisition of Within in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Sisco |first=Josh |date=July 27, 2022 |title=Antitrust agency takes aim at the metaverse by suing Facebook |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/27/ftc-sues-facebook-vr-acquisition-metaverse-strategy-00048248 |access-date=January 19, 2023 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}

On March 18, 2025, before the formal end of his term, both Bedoya and fellow Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter were fired by President Trump.{{cite news |last1=McCabe |first1=David |last2=Kang |first2=Cecilia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/technology/trump-ftc-fires-democrats.html |title=Trump Fires Democrats on Federal Trade Commission |publisher=New York Times |date=18 March 2025}} After learning of his dismissal, Bedoya challenged the legality of Trump's action, arguing that President Trump did not have the statutory or constitutional power to fire him, and stated on the social media platform X that "the president wants the FTC to be a lapdog for his golfing buddies".{{cite news |last1=Irwin |first1=Lauren |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5201944-ftc-commissioners-fired-trump/ |title=FTC commissioner says he was ‘illegally fired’ by Trump |publisher=The Hill |date=18 March 2025}}

• 2022 NHMC DC Impact Awards (NHMC Impact Award Digital Advocacy){{cite web |title=NHMC Impact: Washington D.C. |url=https://www.nhmc.org/nhmc-impact-washington-dc/ |website=NHMC.org}}

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Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:American people of Peruvian descent

Category:Georgetown University Law Center faculty

Category:Harvard College alumni

Category:Peruvian emigrants to the United States

Category:United States Senate lawyers

Category:Yale Law School alumni

Category:Federal Trade Commission personnel

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Category:People from Vestal, New York