Protecting American Citizen

Our history 

The Federal Trade Commission was created on September 26, 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Trade Commission Act into law. The FTC opened its doors on March 16, 1915. Our mission is to protect consumers and promote competition. Under legislation sought by President Theodore Roosevelt, the FTC’s predecessor, the Bureau of Corporations, was created on February 14, 1903. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of that event, the Bureau of Economics held a roundtable on September 4, 2003. View more information about the Roundtable with Former Directors of the Bureau of Economics.  

Centennial Celebration

The FTC celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015 by reflecting on our unique mission, significant events in Commission history, and its staff, stakeholders and constituents – present and past. On January 12, 2015, President Barack Obama visited the Commission, the first presidential visit to the Commission since 1937.

Bureaus

The Bureau of Competition seeks to prevent anticompetitive mergers and other anticompetitive business practices in the marketplace. By enforcing the antitrust laws, the Bureau promotes competition and protects consumers’ freedom to choose goods and services in an open marketplace at a price and quality that fit their needs.

FTC Bearous

Our main aim is to protect every United States Citizens against fraud To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Commission, a special bibliography was created to compile important public sources on the FTC’s history. 

Jay L. Himes, Administrative Law Judge

The Office of Administrative Law Judges performs the initial adjudicative fact-finding in Commission administrative complaint proceedings, guided by the FTC Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, relevant case law interpreting these statutes, and the FTC’s Rules of Practice, 16 C.F.R. Part 3.

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David Rebich, Chief Financial Officer

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer is responsible for agency-wide budget, financial accounting, and acquisition policies and services, program performance reporting, compliance with federal financial management regulations and statutes, and management audit review.

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John Krebs, Chief Privacy Officer

The Office of the Chief Privacy Officer (OCPO) manages the FTC’s internal privacy program and is responsible for ensuring that the Commission complies with all applicable privacy laws and guidance. OCPO identifies the privacy risks, controls, and mitigating solutions when making decisions involving the collection.

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