The Federal Trade Commission will host a public workshop on April 28 to examine how debt collectors are using new technologies and how this affects consumers.
The workshop, titled “Debt Collection 2.0: Protecting Consumers as Technologies Change,” will feature consumer advocates, industry representatives, technologists, academics, and government officials.
The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the FTC’s Satellite Building Conference Center, 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. Those attending must present government-issued photo identification.
The discussion will focus on how collectors use technologies such as e-mail, mobile telephones, social media, as well as dialers, databases and payment portals. The FTC will review the various consumer protection concerns that arise from using these technologies, and how policymakers should respond.
The FTC plans to identify and invite persons with relevant expertise to serve as panelists. Anyone who would like to be a panelist should submit a request to: dctech@ftc.gov on or before 5 p.m. EST, Tuesday, March 22.
