Acting FTC Chairman Ohlhausen Appoints Neil Chilson as Acting Chief Technologist

Acting Federal Trade Commission Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen has appointed Neil Alan Chilson as the agency’s acting Chief Technologist.

Chilson will be primarily responsible for advising Chairman Ohlhausen and the Commission on technology matters, including the FTC’s use of technology, technical aspects of law enforcement actions, and technology policy recommendations.  His portfolio will also include managing the FTC’s effort to better understand informational harms.  

 “Much of the FTC’s work occurs at the intersection of rapidly changing technology and consumer experiences, implicating complex legal and policy issues,” Acting Chairman Ohlhausen said. “Neil has spent his career at this intersection and has been a valuable contributor to the FTC’s technology-related work.  I am pleased to have his technical expertise and policy experience available to the Commission in this new role.”

Chilson was previously as an Attorney Advisor in the Acting Chairman’s office, serving as the Chairman’s principal advisor on technology, privacy, and data security matters.  Previously, he was an attorney at the law firm of Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, where he handled a wide variety of telecommunications and privacy matters.  He received his law degree from the George Washington University Law School, a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Harding University. 

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