Pakistan-origin Lina Khan sworn in as chair of US Federal Trade Commission
Pakistan-origin Lina Khan has sworn in as the chair of the US Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday.
At 32, she is believed to be the youngest chair in the history of the FTC, a victory for progressives seeking a clampdown on tech firms who hold a hefty share of a growing sector of the economy.
Khan was sworn in as FTC chair just hours after the Senate confirmed her as one of five members of the commission on a 69-28 vote.
“I’m so grateful to the Senate for my confirmation. Congress created the FTC to safeguard fair competition and protect consumers, workers, and honest businesses from unfair & deceptive practices. I look forward to upholding this mission with vigor and serving the American public,” said Lina Khan in a tweet after the historic development.
I’m so grateful to the Senate for my confirmation. Congress created the FTC to safeguard fair competition and protect consumers, workers, and honest businesses from unfair & deceptive practices. I look forward to upholding this mission with vigor and serving the American public.
— Lina Khan (@linakhanFTC) June 15, 2021
US Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted that the administration’s selection of Khan was “tremendous news.”
The Biden administration’s designation of @linamkhan as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission is tremendous news. Lina brings deep knowledge and expertise to this role and will be a fearless champion for consumers. https://t.co/5D0LUQZrtN
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) June 15, 2021
“Giant tech companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon deserve the growing scrutiny they are facing, and consolidation is choking off competition across American industries,” Senator Warren said.
“With Chair Khan at the helm, we have a huge opportunity to make big, structural change by reviving antitrust enforcement and fighting monopolies that threaten our economy, our society, and our democracy,” Warren said in a separate statement.
With Chair Khan at the helm, we have a huge opportunity to make big, structural change by reviving antitrust enforcement and fighting monopolies that threaten our economy, our society, and our democracy.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) June 15, 2021
Khan was born in London to Pakistani parents who emigrated to the United States when she was 11, reports The New York Times.
Khan has been affiliated with Columbia University Law School as a professor and burst onto the antitrust scene with her massive scholarly work in 2017 as a Yale law student, “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox”.
It argued that the traditional antitrust focus on price was inadequate to identify antitrust harms done by Amazon.
