Trump signs bill blocking online privacy regulation

Internet service providers including Verizon, AT&T and Comcast have published information letting customers know that they do not plan to sell their private information after Congress repealed internet privacy rules last week.

The rules would have required broadband companies to acquire consent from customers before using or selling their personal data – like browsing history and limited financial information – for tailored advertisements.

“The consequences of passing this resolution are clear: broadband providers like AT&T, Comcast, and others will be able to sell your personal information to the highest bidder without your permission”, said Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA) on the House floor this afternoon.

It is interesting to note that just on Friday, Verizon, AT&T and Comcast have all released some statements in which they are promising to protect the date of their users.

It is unbelievable that Republican members of Congress could look at those numbers and decide they need to sell out Americans’ online privacy for those internet providers to maximize their profits.

On Monday, President Donald Trump signed a repeal of online privacy rules that would have limited the ability of ISPs to share or sell customers’ browsing history for advertising purposes.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai welcomed the repeal, saying it effectively “invalidated one part” of the efforts of Obama in regulating the internet. In January, Comcast and almost every other Internet service provider in the country signed a letter that explained their specific policies for protecting consumer privacy, which include policies on transparency, choice, security, and notifications in the case of a data breach.

The larger problem, however, is that even if the ISPs are telling the truth with these misleading statements, the new FCC rules mean they can change their privacy policies down the line and have no requirement to notify users or give them the chance to opt-out.

The Senate passed the measure the previous week, so now the resolution goes to President Trump, who can sign the legislation or veto it. Adopted in October 2016 by the FCC, the regulations had not yet taken effect.

States have already started to adapt new bills in order to counteract this federal overturn.

While websites such as Facebook, Google and Amazon have never denied that they use customer behavior for marketing, Mierzwinski said ISPs have far more information at their disposal to collect and sell. Further, it stated that most Americans are of the opinion that sensitive Internet information is closely guarded.

The bill had been approved by the House and Senate.