By Brian Fung | The Washington Post
Congress sent proposed legislation to President Trump on Tuesday that wipes away landmark online privacy protections, the first salvo in what is likely to become a significant reworking of the rules governing Internet access in an era of Republican dominance.
In a party-line vote, House Republicans freed Internet service providers such as Verizon, AT&T and Comcast of protections approved just last year that had sought to limit what companies could do with information such as customer browsing habits, app usage history, location data and Social Security numbers. The rules also had required providers to strengthen safeguards for customer data against hackers and thieves.
The Senate has voted to nullify those measures, which were set to take effect at the end of this year. If Trump signs the legislation as expected, providers will be able to monitor their customers’ behavior online and, without their permission, use their personal and financial information to sell highly targeted ads — making them rivals to Google and Facebook in the $83 billion online advertising market.
“Where individuals use the internet to shop, communicate, research, monitor their finances, gather their news, book travel arrangements, and for countless other purposes, Internet privacy concerns are very prevalent. In October of 2016, the FCC attempted to alleviate some of these concerns and approved rules which would have provided for more stringent limitations on the use of information obtained by Internet service providers, such as browsing and app histories, location data, and other information obtained by those providers from individuals using their services. Although these rules would have regulated Internet service providers and required permission to use such information, they would not have regulated the use of such information by companies like Facebook and Google, which are regulated by the FTC. These rules were planned to go into effect in December of this year, however, the legislation currently before President Trump could repeal those rules.
Whether or not these rules are repealed, however, individuals must be ever vigilant in safeguarding their personal information, especially when using it on the Internet. Unfortunately, even when in place, such rules and regulations are not a guarantee that that information will be appropriately protected.”
~Lauren Reynolds, Rose Law Group litigation attorney who focuses on privacy and data breach issues.
