This week, when people were focused on other important news, the House quietly voted to undo rules that keep Internet service providers, for example Verizon, Comcast and Charter, whom people pay for online access, from selling users’ personal information.
So, it means that companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon will be able to do what they want with customers’ browsing habits, location data, app usage history and Social Security numbers.
As we know, in 2016, the Obama administration’s FCC has voted to not allow net providers to sell users’ browsing history or other browsing habits.
Unfortunately, this week in a 215-205 vote on Senate Joint Resolution 34, the House voted to repeal broadband privacy regulations. Without a doubt, this is a bad deal for consumers.
As this news went publicly, Anna Eshoo, California Representative, has declared that her Republican counterparts in the House didn’t understand how Internet providers like Comcast serve a different role for consumers than optional platforms like Facebook or Google.
They can use your information and sell it to the highest bidder,” she said. “I think it’s a sad day if the bill passes.”
Jared Polis, Colorado Representative, was another voice that criticized the vote. She explained on how limited consumers are with regard to ISPs.
“This resolution undermines fundamental privacy for every internet user,” she declared. “With a broadband provider, most of us don’t have a choice. You either sign up for your local provider or you don’t.”
Under this new rule, there are few limits on the ways ISPs will be allowed to interact with people’s user data.
This means that providers will be able to create marketing profiles based on the browsing history of their consumers, plus they can deploy undetectable tools that track the traffic.
Without a doubt that Internet providers will sell out their users’ data to advertisers when they have the chance. However, there are also some small providers on the market that are not so convinced that they want to do this. However, in other markets, people don’t have so many choices in opting for an Internet provider.
This week represented a huge victory for advertisers that are hungry for all of the de-anomyzed personal data. Unfortunately, this week also represented a huge loss for people who value privacy, which means that they are now in a rough ride.
Here is the joint resolution that the House voted this week:
This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission entitled ‘Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services.’ The rule published on December 2, 2016: (1) applies the customer privacy requirements of the Communications Act of 1934 to broadband Internet access service and other telecommunications services, (2) requires telecommunications carriers to inform customers about rights to opt in or opt out of the use or the sharing of their confidential information, (3) adopts data security and breach notification requirements, (4) prohibits broadband service offerings that are contingent on surrendering privacy rights, and (5) requires disclosures and affirmative consent when a broadband provider offers customers financial incentives in exchange for the provider’s right to use a customer’s confidential information.”
