Senate confirms FTC nominees

The Senate confirmed President Obama's two nominees to the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday.

On voice votes, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Jon Leibowitz to serve a second term as chairman of the FTC and Maureen Ohlhausen to serve as a commissioner.

Leibowitz, a Democrat, has chaired the agency since 2009 and has served as a commissioner since 2004.

Under his leadership, the FTC has stepped up enforcement of online privacy protections and data security standards. The FTC reached settlements with Google and Facebook last year over charges that the Web giants violated their own privacy policies.

The commission released a long awaited report on Monday detailing steps Web companies should take to protect users' privacy online. The report also urged Congress to enact data security and privacy protection legislation.

In addition to its consumer protection powers, the FTC also authority over antitrust issues. The commision is currently investigating whether Google has engaged in anticompetitive business practices.

Ohlhausen will fill one of the two slots on the five-member commission reserved for a Republican.

She most recently worked for the Washington law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer, specializing in consumer protection, privacy and cybersecurity issues. Before that, she worked for the FTC for 12 years, including as the director of the Office of Policy Planning, where she focused on e-commerce, advertising and technology issues, according to the biography on the law firm's website.

"My fellow commissioners and I look forward to welcoming Maureen Ohlhausen as a new commissioner. Her exceptional experience, knowledge and leadership will be of great service to the Federal Trade Commission and American consumers," Leibowitz said in a statement. "I am humbled and grateful to the members of the U.S. Senate for their confidence in my continued service at the nation's premier consumer protection agency."

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