The Federal Trade Commission will host a day-long public workshop to consider the impact of technological advances on the consumer debt collection system. The workshop will explore how changing technology affects the ways in which debt collectors communicate with consumers and obtain and process information about consumers and debts. Technologies to be discussed include mobile telephones, email, social media, information gathering tools, and the software platforms that collectors use, including auto-dialers, databases, and payment portals. The discussion will focus upon how these technologies affect collectors' compliance with the law, consumer protection concerns that may arise from their use, and the proper response to those concerns.

Event Details

WHEN:

April 28, 2011
8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Registration opens at 7:30 a.m.

WHERE:

FTC Conference Center
601 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Webcast (Click here to view the webcast of the workshop.)


Additional Material

FTC PUBLICATIONS:

PRESS RELEASES

About the FTC Conference Center

WHERE:

FTC Conference Center
601 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001

VENUE INFORMATION:

FTC Conference Center

COMMENTS

Interested parties are invited to submit written comments electronically or in paper form. For information on how to file a comment, please refer to the Instructions For Filing Comments part of the "Supplementary Information" section of the Federal Register notice. Comments in electronic form should be submitted using the following Web link: https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/debtcollecttechworkshop (and following the instructions on the web-based form). Comments in paper form should be delivered, preferably by courier or overnight service, to: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H-113 (Annex F), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. To be considered in preparation for the workshop, comments must be received by April 7, 2011, although the Commission will accept comments until May 27, 2011.

REQUEST TO PARTICIPATE

Individuals and organizations may submit requests to participate as panelists. Such requests should be submitted in electronic form to dctech@ftc.gov. Please refer to the Request To Participate As Panelists part of the "Supplementary Information" section of the Federal Register notice for complete information on submitting a request to participate. Prospective panelists should submit a statement detailing their expertise on the issues to be addressed and contact information, on or before 5:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, March 22, 2011. Panelists will be selected based on expertise and the need to include a broad range of views.

FTC PRIVACY POLICY

For additional information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, see the Commission's comprehensive Privacy Policy.


DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS

The Conference Center is accessible to people with disabilities. If you need an accommodation related to a disability, please contact Samantha Konstandt at skonstandt@ftc.gov or 202-326-3348. Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodations needed and a way to contact you if we need more information. Please provide advance notice.