The Senate Commerce Committee is deadlocked on a vote to confirm Alvaro Bedoya’s nomination to become one of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) five commissioners. President Joe Biden nominated Bedoya in September to join the board of the FTC, which deals primarily with antitrust and consumer protection law. Bedoya, a Georgetown University law professor, has focused much of his work on the connection between facial recognition technology and civil rights. More specifically, Bedoya has argued that facial recognition technology has often been used in a way that is biased against immigrants and other minorities. If confirmed, Bedoya would join the FTC under its newly-installed chair, Lina Khan. Khan has been outspoken in supporting the use of antitrust law against tech giants. In his role, Bedoya would focus on the FTC’s goal of consumer protection. On Wednesday, the committee voted 14–14 against advancing the nomination to the Senate. Citing Bedoya’s “divisive views,” Ranking Minority …