What's on the FTC's Radar During COVID-19

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joe Simons told House lawmakers that the agency is “very, very closely” watching how contact tracing efforts by Google, Apple and other tech companies affect Americans’ privacy. “We are all over that,” Chairman Simons said during a call with House Commerce Committee lawmakers, adding that the FTC has been talking to the companies involved. Chairman Simons noted that one of the major players in the effort, Google, is already under an FTC order to uphold certain privacy standards. “We want to make sure that we stay closely involved and monitor their compliance with the order,” he said. Chairman Simons was pressed to discuss the agency’s handling of privacy concerns related to Zoom, the now wildly popular virtual conferencing platform. While Chairman Simons declined to say outright whether the FTC is investigating Zoom, he noted, “If it’s out there in the media, we’re on it.”