In a speech yesterday at the National Association of Attorneys General Winter Meeting, FTC Chairman Joseph J. Simons spoke about the FTC's top enforcement priorities for 2019.  Here are some of the highlights. 

Simons said that privacy and data security "are always a top consumer protection priority" at the FTC.  

He also said that advertising will "always be one of the FTC's core missions, because it lets consumers make informed decisions."   Simons indicated that the FTC will continue to prioritize enforcement involving the inappropriate use of influencers, native advertising, and consumer reviews.  He said that the FTC will also continue to focus on deceptive health and safety claims. 

In addition, Simons noted that "Stopping fraud is and will always be a major focus of the FTC's law enforcement efforts."  He emphasized that the FTC intends to go after not only those that commit the fraud, but others that help facilitate the fraud.  He said that the FTC fights all types of fraud, such as impostor scams, illegal lead generation operations, and frauds involving cryptocurrencies.  He also said that a major component of the FTC's fraud program will be to fight illegal robocalls.