Federal Trade Commission Privacy Law and Policy

This volume explains the FTC's privacy activities and how they fit in the context of the agency's consumer protection mission.

Chris Jay Hoofnagle (Author)

9781107565630, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 February 2016

423 pages, 8 b/w illus. 8 tables
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.61 kg

'… this is an important book that can serve several purposes in a legal collection. Not only is it an important addition to the consideration of online and information privacy protections, but the book is also an excellent example of a historical overview of an important federal agency.' Casey D. Duncan, Law Library Journal

The Federal Trade Commission, a US agency created in 1914 to police the problem of 'bigness', has evolved into the most important regulator of information privacy - and thus innovation policy - in the world. Its policies profoundly affect business practices and serve to regulate most of the consumer economy. In short, it now regulates our technological future. Despite its stature, however, the agency is often poorly understood by observers and even those who practice before it. This volume by Chris Jay Hoofnagle - an internationally recognized scholar with more than fifteen years of experience interacting with the FTC - is designed to redress this confusion by explaining how the FTC arrived at its current position of power. It will be essential reading for lawyers, legal academics, political scientists, historians and anyone else interested in understanding the FTC's privacy activities and how they fit in the context of the agency's broader consumer protection mission.

Introduction
Part I. The History, Powers, and Procedure of the Federal Trade Commission: 1. History of the Federal Trade Commission
2. The FTC and the rise of consumerism
3. The modern FTC
4. Organization and procedural basics
5. Unfair and deceptive practices
Part II. The FTC's Regulation of Privacy: 6. Online privacy
7. Privacy of children
8. Information security
9. Anti-marketing efforts: email, telemarketing, and malware
10. Financial privacy
11. International privacy efforts
Part III. Conclusion: 12. Strengthening the FTC and protecting privacy.

Subject Areas: Competition law / Antitrust law [LNCH]