September 16, 2021
A Statement from Brenda Victoria Castillo, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC)
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) would like to extend congratulations to Alvaro Bedoya for his recent nomination to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and applauds the Biden-Harris Administration for nominating a member of the Latinx community to this influential seat. Our organization has long advocated for greater representation of the Latinx community in positions of leadership and influence, making Alvaro’s nomination a moment of pride for our fellow Latino receiving this great honor.
Mr. Bedoya has proven that he is extremely qualified to serve as an effective leader on the FTC through his extensive list of achievements. With over a decade of experience on privacy and civil rights, Mr. Bedoya founded the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law School, where he focused his work on the unique digital rights challenges that marginalized communities face. Mr. Bedoya also served as Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, and has consistently worked across the aisle to advocate for privacy as a civil right and to champion for consumers all across the country.
Additionally, as an immigrant from Peru, Mr. Bedoya’s personal experiences provide him with a valuable perspective needed to fully understand the tech harms that disproportionately affect Latinx and BIPOC communities, including surveillance and other abuses of technology. In 2016, he led research that exposed the dangers of governmental facial recognition and surveillance technologies for communities of color.
Mr. Bedoya’s nomination comes at a crucial moment in our history, when threats of extremism, hate speech, and disinformation are becoming more prevalent with greater uses of technology and social media. Mr. Bedoya’s confirmation is a powerful signal and a move towards greater consumer protections for marginalized communities such as the Latino community.
NHMC is confident that if confirmed, Mr. Bedoya would serve as a strong advocate for those most affected by privacy and technology exploitation. We strongly urge the Senate to quickly consider and confirm Mr. Bedoya to the FTC.
Yours in the Movement,
Brenda Victoria Castillo
President & CEO
National Hispanic Media Coalition
