Aaron Alva is a technologist & attorney who strategically advises on privacy, security, & AI governance issues through the Alva Strategy Center.
Previously, Aaron served as a lead technology advisor and Counsel to the Director at the Federal Trade Commission. During his decade at the FTC, Aaron was instrumental in driving the agency's approach to privacy & security enforcement while advancing key consumer protection & competition cases. His record include multiple high-profile FTC matters such Facebook ($5 billion privacy settlement), Amazon Alexa, GM, GoodRx, BetterHelp, Marriott, GoDaddy, Broadcom, Mobilewalla, Venmo, Vizio, Avast, Rite Aid, Zoom, and more. Aaron acts as a translator between technical and legal domains. Aaron jointly completed a Masters in Information Management and Juris Doctor from the University of Washington as a National Science Foundation CyberCorps scholarship recipient. He has worked on advanced cybersecurity research projects at a National Laboratory, and holds CISSP credentials. At Harvard BKC, Aaron explores enforcement approaches—particularly for the EU AI Act—that can effectively incentivize responsible AI development.