Financial and medical information. Social Security numbers. Web browsing history. Mobile app usage. Even the content of your emails and online chats.
These are among the types of private consumer information that House Republicans voted on Tuesday to allow your Internet service provider (ISP) to sell to the highest bidder without your permission, prompting outrage from Privacy watchdogs.
The House action, which was rammed through by a vote of 215 - 205 on a largely partisan basis by the GOP majority, represents another nail in the coffin of landmark Federal Communications Commission consumer Privacy rules that were passed in 2016. The rules, which were set to go into effect later this year, would have required broadband providers to obtain "opt-in" consent before using, sharing, or selling private consumer data.
"Ignoring calls from thousands of their constituents, House Republicans just joined their colleagues in the Senate in violating Internet users' privacy rights," Craig Aaron, CEO of DC-based public interest group Free Press Action Fund, said in a statement. "They voted to take away the privacy rights of hundreds of millions of Americans just so a few giant companies could pad their already considerable profits."
Last week, the Senate passed its version of the legislation. President Trump, who "strongly" supports the FCC privacy rollback, is expected to sign the measure soon, as part of the widening Republican campaign to reverse federal safeguards across broad swaths of the economy, including rules protecting the environment, public health, and consumer interests.
Privacy watchdogs say the FCC's policy is necessary because ISPs can see everything that consumers do online. Unless you use a Virtual Private Network (VPN), every website you visit, every Mobile app you use, every online search you conduct, is visible on their networks. Needless to say, this data is immensely valuable because it can be used to create detailed profiles for marketing and tracking purposes.
Corporate giants like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon already rake in billions of dollars annually from internet, cable, and mobile subscriptions. Now, these broadband firms will be able make even more money by selling your private data to third party marketers without your permission.
"What the heck are you thinking? What is in your mind?"
Last year, the FCC detailed the data covered by its privacy policy.
