The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced formation
of its Office of Technology Research and Investigation (OTRI), an
office meant to "ensure that consumers enjoy the benefits of
technological progress without being placed at risk of deceptive
and unfair practices." The office is meant to expand the scope
of work previously conducted by the FTC'S Mobile Technology
Unit. The now-defunct Mobile Technology Unit promoted consumer
protection in the mobile environment. In its tenure, the unit
released a number of reports, including The Kids App Privacy Reports and the Mobile Shopping Report.
Instead of focusing specifically on mobile technologies, the new
OTRI will investigate technology issues related to "privacy,
data security, connected cars, smart homes, algorithmic
transparency, emerging payment methods, big data, and the Internet
of Things," as reported in a press release issued by the FTC.
