New Projects: Augmenting Federal Trade Commission Investigations

We are pleased to share two exciting projects from our inaugural Tech Policy Primer cohort. The projects, focused on ‘Augmenting the Investigations Capacity of the Federal Trade Commission,’ seek to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The outputs include a Smart Reporting Channel for FTC informants and an operational plan for building technical expertise at the FTC.

The projects are:

A Smart Reporting Channel for the Federal Trade Commission Informants

by Arjun Hassard, Justino Mora, Julia Uhr, and Ritvik Vasudevan

Currently, the FTC processes all informant submissions regarding anticompetitive corporate behavior by email, which has several flaws — including inefficiency and privacy risks. This project recommends that the FTC develop a smart reporting channel with open source software to modernize its informant tools. The proposed user interface would more clearly identify the category of violation, educate the informant, and expedite report processing and authentication. The underlying open source code would further guarantee the privacy and security of submissions and any subsequent communication.

Building Technical Expertise at the Federal Trade Commission

by Ehrik Aldana, Michael Masuda, Félim McMahon, Matthew O’Shaughnessy, and Nina Vyedin

Currently, the FTC lacks the volume of technical experts to properly meet its regulatory obligations in the digital era. This project proposes that the FTC develop new pathways for technologies to join the agency to support investigations, litigation, compliance, strategy, and policy. In particular, this project proposes that the FTC should establish a Technology Advisory Committee of academic and industry experts to improve technology expertise at the FTC.

Learn more about these and other projects here.