Julie Brill

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Julie Brill

| image = {{CSS image crop

|Image = Julie Brill, Chief Privacy Officer for Microsoft.jpg

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| caption = Brill at Microsoft's Redmond campus, July 2017

| office = Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission

| predecessor = Pamela Jones Harbour

| president = Barack Obama

| successor = Noah J. Phillips

| term_start = April 6, 2010

| term_end = March 31, 2016

| education = Princeton University (BA)
New York University School of Law (JD)

| birth_name = Julie Simone Brill

| birth_place = Houston, Texas, U.S.

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1959|3|12}}

}}

Julie Simone Brill (born March 12, 1959){{Cite web|date=December 15, 2009|title=HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS - DECEMBER 15, 2009|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-111shrg56414/pdf/CHRG-111shrg56414.pdf|website=GovInfo|page=11}} is an American lawyer who is Chief Privacy Officer and Corporate Vice President for Global Privacy, Safety and Regulatory Affairs at Microsoft.{{Cite web|title=Julie Brill LinkedIn|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-brill-3326512a/}} Prior to her role at Microsoft, Brill was nominated by President Barack Obama on November 16, 2009, and confirmed unanimously by the US Senate to serve as Commissioner of the US Federal Trade Commission on March 3, 2010.{{Cite web |date=2009-11-16 |title=President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 11/16/2009 |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts-11162009 |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=whitehouse.gov |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=PN1180 - Julie Simone Brill - Federal Trade Commission |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/111th-congress/1180?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22Julie+Brill%22%7D&s=1&r=5 |website=Congress.gov| date=March 3, 2010 }} Brill was a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2010 to 2016.

Early life and education

Brill was born in Houston, Texas on March 12, 1959.[https://books.google.com/books?id=pihzAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA241 "Julie Brill, Commissioner"]. Federal Regulatory Directory. Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press, 16th edition, 2014, p. 241. In 1977, Brill graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, and was later inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2012.{{cite web |last1=Mann|first1=Mary|title=Zach Braff Inducted Into Columbia High School Hall of Fame |url=https://villagegreennj.com/schools-kids/zach-braff-inducted-columbia-high-school-hall-fame/ |website=The Village Green |date=May 29, 2015}} Brill graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree (B.A.) in economics from Princeton University. In 1985, she received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the New York University School of Law as a Root-Tilden-Kern scholar.{{cite web|url=https://www.law.nyu.edu/alumni/almo/pastalmos/2010-11almos/juliebrillnovember |title=Alumna of the Month November 2010 |publisher=New York University School of Law}}

Government career

= Offices of State Attorneys General =

From 1988 to 2008, Brill served in the Vermont Attorney General's office as Assistant Attorney General for Consumer Protection and Antitrust. She worked to coordinate with other states as co-chair of the Privacy Working Group at the National Association of Attorneys General.{{Cite news |last=McConnell |first=Bill |date=September 4, 2012 |title=Q&A with the FTC's Julie Brill By Bill McConnell |work=The Deal |url=https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/public_statements/interview-ftc-commissioner-julie-brill/120904thedealqa.pdf |access-date=April 20, 2020}}{{Cite web |last=Institute |first=The American Law |title=Members |url=https://www.ali.org/members/member/146161/ |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=American Law Institute |language=en}} In 1991, she and her staff discovered hundreds of Vermont residents were incorrectly identified as having tax liens against them by a consumer credit reporting agency, leading to a major settlement with the credit reporting industry. Brill testified in Congress about these issues,{{Cite web |title=Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill '85 delivers Abrams Lecture (VIDEO) {{!}} NYU School of Law |url=https://www.law.nyu.edu/news/BRILL_ABRAMS_LECTURE |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=www.law.nyu.edu}} and ultimately the Fair Credit Reporting Act was revised in 1996{{Cite web |date=1997-10-01 |title=The Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act of 1996 {{!}} NCUA |url=http://ncua.gov/regulation-supervision/letters-credit-unions-other-guidance/consumer-credit-reporting-reform-act-1996 |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=ncua.gov |language=en}} based on problems discovered by Brill and others.{{Cite web |title=Alumna of the Month November 2010 {{!}} NYU School of Law |url=https://www.law.nyu.edu/alumni/almo/pastalmos/2010-11almos/juliebrillnovember |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=www.law.nyu.edu}}

From 2008-2010, Brill was Deputy Attorney General in charge of Consumer Protection and Competition in North Carolina, serving under then-Attorney General Roy Cooper.{{Cite web |title=President Nominates Local Attorney to Federal Trade Commission |url=http://www.metnews.com/articles/2009/rami111809.htm |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=www.metnews.com}}

= Federal Trade Commission (FTC) =

In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Brill to replace Pamela Jones Harbour as a member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).{{Cite web|title=President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 11/16/2009|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts-11162009|date=2009-11-16|website=whitehouse.gov|language=en|access-date=2020-05-10}} Brill was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on March 3, 2010, and she was officially sworn in on April 6, 2010.{{Cite web|title=Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate, 11/17/09|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/presidential-nominations-sent-senate-111709|date=2009-11-17|website=whitehouse.gov|language=en|access-date=2020-05-10}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/biographies/julie-brill|title=Julie Brill|date=June 7, 2013 |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |access-date=July 3, 2018}} While at the FTC, Brill focused on the privacy implications of emerging technologies, including how personal data is gathered and used.{{Cite news|last=Golden |first=Hallie |title=Defending The Digital Consumer|url=https://www.govexec.com/magazine/briefing/2015/07/defending-digital-consumer/117196/|work=Government Executive |date=July 8, 2015 |access-date=May 10, 2020}}{{Cite news |last1=Selinger |first1=Evan |last2=Hartzog |first2=Woodrow |date=April 15, 2015|title=Why you have the right to obscurity|work=The Christian Science Monitor|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Passcode/Passcode-Voices/2015/0415/Why-you-have-the-right-to-obscurity |access-date=10 May 2020}}

During her tenure on the FTC, Brill actioned against technology companies for failing to secure personal data properly and supported additional protection for consumer data rights.{{Cite news|last=Brill |first=Julie |title=Regulators Must Guide the Internet of Things |url=https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/09/08/privacy-and-the-internet-of-things/regulators-must-guide-the-internet-of-things |work=The New York Times |date=September 8, 2013|access-date=May 10, 2020}} Brill advocated for the development of a "do not track" feature to allow Internet users to tell websites to stop tracking their online activities,{{Cite web|title=Stage set for online privacy showdown |work=The Miami Herald |date=November 11, 2010 |url= https://issuu.com/miami-herald-ecuador/docs/miami_herald_11_nov_2010_|page=2B |access-date=May 10, 2020}} and created a "Reclaim Your Name" project to encourage more transparency within the data broker industry.{{Cite news|last=Bracy |first=Jedidiah |title=Knocking Down Silos and Weaving the Tapestry: A Look at the Priorities of FTC Commissioner Julie Brill|url=https://iapp.org/news/a/knocking-down-silos-and-weaving-the-tapestry-a-look-at-the-priorities-of-ft/|work=The IAPP |publisher=International Association of Privacy Professionals |date=March 10, 2014 | access-date=May 10, 2020}} In 2014 she appeared on CBS 60 Minutes to discuss the data broker industry and what needs to change to provide more control for consumers.{{Cite news|title=The Data Brokers: Selling your personal information|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-data-brokers-selling-your-personal-information/|work=60 Minutes |publisher=CBS News |date=March 9, 2010 |access-date=May 10, 2020}}

Commissioner Brill advocated for effective antitrust enforcement in the healthcare and high-tech sectors. She wrote the Commission’s unanimous decision in ProMedica, dissolving the merger of two hospitals in Toledo, Ohio. Commissioner Brill’s ProMedica decision was upheld on appeal by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.{{Cite web |date=2013-06-07 |title=Julie Brill |url=https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/commissioners-staff/julie-brill |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=Federal Trade Commission |language=en}} She also dissented from the Commission’s decision to allow two Pharmacy Benefit Manager companies to merge because the merger would likely increase the cost of healthcare, an issue that the FTC began to investigate in 2023.{{Cite web |last=Brill |first=Julie |date=April 2, 2012 |title=DISSENTING STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER JULIE BRILL CONCERNING THE PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF MEDCO HEALTH SOLUTIONS INC. (MEDCO) BY EXPRESS SCRIPTS, INC. (ESI) |url=https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/public_statements/dissenting-statement-commissioner-julie-brill/120402medcobrillstatement.pdf |access-date=November 27, 2023 |website=Ftc.gov}}{{Cite web |date=November 27, 2023 |title=Federal Trade Commission Statement Concerning Reliance on Prior PBM-Related Advocacy Statements and Reports That No Longer Reflect Current Market Realities |url=https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/CLEANPBMStatement7182023%28OPPFinalRevisionsnoon%29.pdf |access-date=November 27, 2023 |website=Ftc.gov}}

Additional matters that Brill was involved in at the FTC included the $22.5 million settlement with Google over its circumvention of Safari browser privacy settings in 2012,{{Cite web |date=2012-08-09 |title=Google Will Pay $22.5 Million to Settle FTC Charges it Misrepresented Privacy Assurances to Users of Apple's Safari Internet Browser |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2012/08/google-will-pay-225-million-settle-ftc-charges-it-misrepresented-privacy-assurances-users-apples |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=Federal Trade Commission |language=en}} the $1.2 billion settlement with Teva Pharmaceuticals over its pay-for-delay agreements with generic drug makers in 2015,{{Cite web |last1=Leibowitz |first1=Jon |last2=Rosch |first2=J. Thomas |last3=Ramirez |first3=Edith |last4=Brill |first4=Julie |date=October 11, 2011 |title=UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BEFORE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION In the Matter of TEVA PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES LTD., a corporation; and CEPHALON, INC, a corporation. |url=https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cases/2011/10/111007tevacephalondo.pdf |access-date=November 27, 2023 |website=Ftc.gov}} and the $1 billion settlement with Qualcomm over its anticompetitive licensing practices in 2019.{{Cite web |last=Mueller |first=Eingestellt von Florian |title=BREAKING NEWS: Federal Trade Commission wins antitrust case against Qualcomm in Northern District of California |url=http://www.fosspatents.com/2019/05/breaking-news-federal-trade-commission.html |access-date=2023-11-27}}

Brill also led the development of several policy initiatives and reports at the FTC, including The Data Broker report in 2014,{{Cite web |date=2014-05-27 |title=Statement of Commissioner Brill on the Commission's Data Broker Report |url=https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/public-statements/statement-commissioner-brill-commissions-data-broker-report |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=Federal Trade Commission |language=en}} The Internet of Things report in 2015,{{Cite web |last=Brill |first=Julie |date=May 4, 2015 |title=Data Protection and the Internet of Things U.S. Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill Keynote Address for EuroForum European Data Protection Days |url=https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_statements/640741/2015-05-04_euroforum_iot_brill_final.pdf |access-date=November 27, 2023 |website=Ftc.gov}} and The Big Data report in 2016.{{Cite web |last1=Ramirez |first1=Edith |last2=Brill |first2=Julie |last3=Ohlhausen |first3=Maureen K. |last4=McSweeny |first4=Terrell |date=January 2016 |title=Big Data: A tool for inclusion or exclusion? Understanding the issues FTC Report |url=https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/big-data-tool-inclusion-or-exclusion-understanding-issues/160106big-data-rpt.pdf |access-date=November 27, 2023 |website=Ftc.gov}}

Brill left office on March 31, 2016, after serving six years. Her seat was later filled in 2018 by Noah J. Phillips, a Republican.{{Cite web|date=2018-03-02|title=The Trump FTC and the Internet|url=https://www.benton.org/blog/trump-ftc-and-internet|access-date=2021-09-12|website=Benton Foundation|language=en}}

Post-government career

=Microsoft=

In 2017, Julie Brill joined Microsoft as corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for Privacy and Regulatory Affairs.{{Cite web |last=Blogs |first=Microsoft Corporate |date=2017-04-28 |title=Microsoft appoints globally respected regulator to privacy leadership role |url=https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2017/04/28/microsoft-appoints-globally-respected-regulator-privacy-leadership-role/ |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=Microsoft On the Issues |language=en-US}} In this role, she led the company's global privacy and regulatory strategy, overseeing Microsoft's compliance with emerging data protection laws such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).{{Cite web |last=Brill |first=Julie |date=2018-05-21 |title=Microsoft's commitment to GDPR, privacy and putting customers in control of their own data |url=https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2018/05/21/microsofts-commitment-to-gdpr-privacy-and-putting-customers-in-control-of-their-own-data/ |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=Microsoft On the Issues |language=en-US}} Later, she became Microsoft's Chief Privacy Officer.{{Cite web |title=Julie Brill |url=https://live.worldbank.org/en/experts/j/julie-brill |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=World Bank Live |language=en}}

= Boards =

Brill serves as a board member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals,{{Cite web |title=IAPP |url=https://iapp.org/about/person/0011a00000ji5HHAAY/ |access-date=2025-04-21}} a board member of the IAPP AI Governance Center Advisory Board, a board member of the Center for Democracy and Technology, {{Cite web |title=Julie Brill |url=https://cdt.org/staff/julie-brill/ |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=Center for Democracy and Technology |language=en-US}} and a Governor for The Ditchley Foundation.{{Cite web |title=Ms Julie Brill {{!}} Ditchley Foundation |url=https://www.ditchley.com/ms-julie-brill |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=www.ditchley.com}}  She was also elected to the American Law Institute in 2013.{{Cite web |title=Julie S. Brill {{!}} The American Law Institute |url=https://www.ali.org/profile/1654 |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=www.ali.org}}