Phyllis Hurwitz Marcus
Senior Staff Attorney
Division of Advertising Practices
Federal Trade Commission

Phyllis Hurwitz Marcus is a senior staff attorney in the Federal Trade Commission’s Division of Advertising Practices, where she focuses on children’s advertising issues. She is primarily responsible for enforcing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the FTC’s implementing Rule. Ms. Marcus led the team responsible for the Commission’s 2009 study of online virtual worlds, culminating in a report to Congress in December 2009. She also serves on the FTC’s Alcohol Team, and has conducted several health and safety investigations involving toys and health care products intended for use by children. Ms. Marcus has worked at the FTC since 1998, during which time she also has served as a Legal Advisor to the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, and as an attorney in the Division of Enforcement.

Prior to joining the FTC, Ms. Marcus was the Legal Director of The Appleseed Foundation, and was a litigation associate at Crowell & Moring LLP. From 1993 to 1994, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable John C. Eldridge of the Maryland Court of Appeals. Ms. Marcus is a 1993 cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, and a 1990 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.