As if all the news about Trumpcare wasn't terrifying enough, United States senators voted 50-48 today to repeal broadband privacy rules created by the Federal Communications Commission requiring internet service providers (ISPs) to obtain permission before releasing consumer information. Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake proposed the bill earlier this month.
Here's what those broadband rules were intended to do, according to TechCrunch's explainer leading up to the vote:
The broadband privacy rule, among other things, expanded an existing rule by defining a few extra items as personal information, such as browsing history. This information joins medical records, credit card numbers and so on as information that your ISP is obligated to handle differently, asking if it can collect it and use it.
You can see the utility of the rule right away; browsing records are very personal indeed, and ISPs are in a unique position to collect pretty much all of it if you’re not actively obscuring it. That means every product you look up, every malady you search for and every site you visit. Facebook and Google see a lot, sure, but ISPs see a lot too, and a very different set of data.
Translation: ISPs can now sell your internet browsing history to advertisers.
The Senate effectively voted to remove the previous rules "and, under the authority of the Congressional Review Act, prevent similar rules from being enacted," TechCrunch reports." It now heads to the House for approval."
In a statement, ACLU Legislative Counsel Neema Singh Guliani wrote:
It is extremely disappointing that the Senate voted today to sacrifice the privacy rights of Americans in the interest of protecting the profits of major internet companies, including Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon. The resolution would undo privacy rules that ensure consumers control how their most sensitive information is used. The House must now stop this resolution from moving forward and stand up for our privacy rights.
From Ars Technica:
“President Trump may be outraged by fake violations of his own privacy, but every American should be alarmed by the very real violation of privacy that will result [from] the Republican roll-back of broadband privacy protections," Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said after the vote. ...
Democrats and consumer advocates are furious. The acronym "ISP" now stands for "information sold for profit," and "invading subscriber privacy," rather than "Internet service providers," Markey said during floor debate today.
Yikes.
Sen. Markey, who spearheaded the creation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, and other government officials voiced their concerns on Twitter:
.@GOP, Americans don't want their sensitive info collected, used & sold by any 3rd party, whether that be a broadband provider or a hacker. https://t.co/nHoiTNTivi
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) March 23, 2017
.@GOP just made it easier for info about your health, finances & family to be used, shared & sold to highest bidder with out permission. https://t.co/41F5SY2pm5
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) March 23, 2017
Republicans want corporations, not consumers, to control personal information. We must protect #BroadbandPrivacy https://t.co/A3JUEZrcwK
— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) March 23, 2017
I don't work for big corporations. I work for you. So I'm pushing back against @SenateGOP efforts that would undermine #BroadbandPrivacy.
— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) March 22, 2017
.@SenateGOP just voted to let internet providers sell our personal information:
Unbelievable! Let's stand together for #BroadbandPrivacy!
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) March 23, 2017
.@SenateGOP is voting to allow ISPs to sell off your health & financial info to the highest bidder w/no hearing or debate. #BroadbandPrivacy
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 23, 2017
These are the 50 Senators who just voted to gut #BroadbandPrivacy rules & let ISPs sell your private data to marketers without permission. pic.twitter.com/v61hJP5TfV
— Rö¢k§†årMåxê¥ (@rockstarmaxey) March 23, 2017