House Republicans snuck through a measure that cancels Obama administration-era rules that banned telecom and cable companies from sharing customers personal information, including web browsing history, without the need for consent. Congress completed its overturning of the nation’s strongest internet privacy protection for citizens on Tuesday in an unprecedented victory for telecommunications companies, which can now track and sell any customers online information with much greater ease.
The resolution passed with a 215-205 vote dividing along party lines. If President Trump signs the measure into law, which seems likely, internet service providers will have gained a victory for which they have lobbied since the Obama rules were signed into law and spent millions of dollars on. Advocates warn that consumers will have lost any network privacy, when asked to explain former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler stated that:
“ISPs will be able to sell your personal information to the highest bidder…and they won’t have any real obligation to keep your personal information secure, either.”
The FCC adopted rules last October that required explicit permission to be acquired before any sensitive data or information could be hared. Companies were furthermore required to inform both customers and law enforcement of any security breaches.
In the debate Republicans sought to describe these rules as government overreach with Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn), the representative responsible for introducing the resolution (R- Tenn.) stating that: “These broadband privacy rules are unnecessary.” and bragging on twitter: “Pleased that the House voted to roll back the FCC’s flawed ISP privacy rules and taken steps to protect consumers. While House Republicans warned that Republicans were scrapping common-sense privacy regulations- and predicted a dim future without them. While Michael Capuane (D-Mass.) pointed out a pattent which would enable companies to detect when a couple were cuddling on the couch through a thermal camera, and then be able to show them TV commercials for romantic getaways or contraceptives. Adding: “That’s
what this bill will allow, and you can’t turn it off. Terrible!”
The measure uses the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to undo any regulation within 60 days of uts fubakuzatuibm while also barring any submissions of similar
proposals, meaning the FCC would be banned from regulating ISP privacy issues in the future, according to David Segal, executive director of Demand Progress. Network providers focussed their arguments on the fact that they were victim to regulations that google and facebook were not. Democrats argued that it does not make sense to regulate an ISP like Google in the same way as a consumer can shift to other online sites, but if they do not like their network providers, consumers in America are out of luck as network providers run in localised monopolies (they do not compete with each other’s territories) Wheeler added that
“Consumers have entered into a business relationship with ISPs that ISPS are now seeking to change….. it is not their information, it’s the consumers’ information.”
Adding to this blow to privacy protection laws, Republicans at the FCC have said they plan to target the classification of broadband as a utilitylike service that has strong regulatory oversight. They have also said they seek to overturn the Obama-era net neutrality rules that forbade broadband providers from blocking,slowing down or harging extra for downloads of websites. In the past, net providers slowed down the internet speed for netflix while negotiating a new contract, with their speed returning to normal levels the day after negotiations were completed. Ofcourse the network provider has denied any wrongdoing.
Europerate 