The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Wednesday told Congress that it only has 40 full-time employees dedicated to overseeing internet privacy and data security and requested lawmakers give the agency more resources to adequately police tech companies.<\/p>\n
FTC Chairman Joseph Simons, a Republican appointed by President Trump, wrote in a letter to House leaders this week that the commission lags far behind other developed countries’ data watchdogs.<\/p>\n
“For example, the U.K. Information Commissioners’ office has about 500 employees, and the Irish Data Protection Commissioner has about 110 employees,” Simons wrote. “Although these entities have somewhat different mandates, the contrast is stark.<\/p>\n
“The FTC, as the federal entity primarily responsible for protecting consumers’ privacy and data security in the United States (a much larger jurisdiction), should have more employees devoted to this effort.”<\/p>\n
Simons was responding to a letter that Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) sent last month asking if the agency needed more resources to police internet giants. Lawmakers have grown increasingly concerned about Silicon Valley’s handling of user privacy and the government’s ability to hold companies accountable for abusing or mishandling consumers’ data.<\/p>\n
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