Now Hiring: FTC Announces Formation of Office of Technology Research and Investigation

The FTC is hiring technologists to staff its newly formed Office of Technology Research and Investigation (OTRI), which was created to “expand the FTC’s capacity to protect consumers in an age of rapid technological innovation,” wrote FTC Chief Technologist Ashkan Soltani in a blog post Monday. In its hundred years, the commission has protected consumers as new technologies, from movies and radio to smartphones and connected cars, emerged, Soltani said. “When smart phones began to become ubiquitous, the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection created a Mobile Technology Unit” (MTU) to highlight “consumer protection challenges posed by mobile technologies,” and developed tools and techniques to protect consumers, Soltani said. The OTRI is the successor to the MTU and will tackle "an even broader array of investigative research on technology issues involving all facets of the FTC’s consumer protection mission, including privacy, data security, connected cars, smart homes, algorithmic transparency, emerging payment methods, big data, and the Internet of Things,” he said. New positions the FTC announced include a technology policy research fellowship, research coordinator and technology research internship program, Soltani said. The FTC’s tech blog, traditionally reserved for posts from the agency’s chief technologist, soon will expand to allow posts from “invited FTC staff, including members of OTRI,” who will guest blog about technical research findings and technology-related issues affecting consumers, he said.