FTC's Weinman to head to tech lobbying firm ITI in April

Yael Weinman is leaving the Federal Trade Commission to join the Information Technology Industry Council next month, the tech lobbying firm announced on Monday.

Weinman will serve as vice president for global privacy policy and general counsel at ITI, where she will leverage her past experience working on privacy and data protection issues at the FTC. Weinman currently serves as an attorney adviser to FTC Commissioner Julie Brill, where she specializes in domestic and international privacy and data security issues. 

Weinman will work with policymakers and stakeholders to help craft a balanced approach to new privacy policies, according to John Neuffer, senior vice president for global policy at ITI. This role is particularly critical as more governments are looking to enact new privacy rules, he said.

“From the trade perspective, bringing Yael on board is a major step forward for the tech sector and ITI as data innovation and privacy issues are becoming trade issues in key markets around the world. Under the cloak of privacy concerns, some governments are setting up discriminatory trade barriers that frustrate our industry’s ability to compete and grow," Neuffer said in a statement. 

“Yael will be leading the charge to drive balanced approaches to privacy that enhance innovation while also protecting an individual’s personal data,” he continued.

Weinman has been with the FTC since 2002. Prior to her current role in Commissioner Brill's office, she served as a counsel for international consumer protection at the commission's office of international affairs.

ITI represents a diverse range of major tech companies in Washington, including IBM, Google, Microsoft and Oracle.