GOP senators’ new bill would let ISPs sell your Web browsing data

3/8/2017

Republican senators yesterday introduced legislation that would overturn new privacy rules for Internet service providers. If the Federal Communications Commission rules are eliminated, ISPs would not have to get consumers' explicit consent before selling or sharing Web browsing data and other private information with advertisers and other third parties.

As expected, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and 23 Republican co-sponsors introduced the resolution yesterday. The measure would use lawmakers' power under the Congressional Review Act to ensure that the FCC rulemaking "shall have no force or effect." The resolution would also prevent the FCC from issuing similar regulations in the future.
Further Reading
FCC imposes ISP privacy rules and takes aim at mandatory arbitration

Flake's announcement said he's trying to "protect consumers from overreaching Internet regulation." Flake also said that the resolution "empowers consumers to make informed choices on if and how their data can be shared," but he did not explain how it will achieve that.
...
Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) offered similar criticism. "Big broadband barons and their Republican allies want to turn the telecommunications marketplace into a Wild West where consumers are held captive with no defense against abusive invasions of their privacy by internet service providers,” Markey said. "Consumers will have no ability to stop Internet service providers from invading their privacy and selling sensitive information about their health, finances, and children to advertisers, insurers, data brokers or others who can profit off of this personal information, all without their affirmative consent."
Link

It appears to remove the opt-in and provision for safeguarding data. Is there no end to big business making money of anything that they can touch.

The Senators.

Flake's co-sponsors are US Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Dan Sullivan (R-Ark.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).

a reply to: roadgravel

My Internet better be free if they can make money off me.

a reply to: roadgravel

...sharing Web browsing data and other private information with advertisers and other third parties.

(Emphasis added)

Why bother mentioning advertisers, at all?

... sharing... with others... sign right here...

a reply to: roadgravel

That could be argued as a breach of the 4th imo.
/Shakes head

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: roadgravel

My Internet better be free if they can make money off me.

Hah, cable was free initially, too. Commercial free, that is. Thats why we paid for it, so we didn't have to suffer to the commercials.

Now they charge you for a hundred channels you don't even watch, called Tiered Packages, you pay for the commercials they show you, and the 'smartest' tv they make doesn't have an auto mute feature...

...you have to find the mute on the remote.

The TV might still be 'on' too, even after you turn it off.

They're just making it legal to record your household conversation and 'share' it with 'third parties'.

Internet rates just went up, again.

Edit: Anyone else notice YouTube ads are getting longer, wth no skip ad feature?

We already live in a world where the sharing of information is the go. It's the sale of this information that concerns me.

Who can these 3rd parties potentially be? Anyone?

Lack of regulation = no oversight imo. Sad.
Bad (sick) people

originally posted by: BlueJacket
a reply to: roadgravel

That could be argued as a breach of the 4th imo.
/Shakes head

No it can't. The 4th applies to the government, not corporations.

My biggest problem like this is that it can't be reversed. Once your information is out there, there's no deleting it. It will be out there permanently.

Introducing official legislation like this is a perfect way to see who opposes it.

Clever.

originally posted by: roadgravel

The Senators.

Flake's co-sponsors are US Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Dan Sullivan (R-Ark.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).

Well that is certainly a bi-partisan effort isn't it? lol

I don't know if it even makes a difference at this point. I was joking with a friend the other day in a text message that I wanted to get a jacuzzi and now I'm getting ads for jacuzzi's on my laptop. I mean jesus...

originally posted by: xuenchen
Introducing official legislation like this is a perfect way to see who opposes it.

Clever.

The people who don't believe that greed has to enter every aspect of our life.

originally posted by: roadgravel

originally posted by: xuenchen
Introducing official legislation like this is a perfect way to see who opposes it.

Clever.

The people who don't believe that greed has to enter every aspect of our life.

I tend to concur.

Don't use ur isp dns

Bigest problem hear is what do u do against your isp there normally the only one in town unless u like dsl or 4g

Every cable company has been slowing turning up the fire now there's not even water left to boil us in

100 a month for Internet hear and they inject adds
Doesn't include other shady practises at least 2x a year they will up the speed a little and add on 5 to 20 a month on ur bill without telling u now u have to chose half the speed u had for the same price or 20 more a month for a 10 percent increase

It's not new tech dosis 3.0 has been out since 2006

So yes they will be selling urge data injecting adds and anything they can to make a extra buck

originally posted by: sunkuong
We already live in a world where the sharing of information is the go. It's the sale of this information that concerns me.

You are right, that was the ideal of the internet from the get go, now it's near disaster proportions, and under attack from online tabloids riven with byte grabbing advertising intrusions that just go on and on, and on. Google is now the worst experience online, along with the tabloids. De facto, they already sell data, your data, while stuffing your face with ads that you have no interest in whatsoever, alongside stuff that you may have had a singular interest at one given time, like a car salesman trying to sell you a car you may have already bought.

a reply to: markovian

DNS is important they can see where you go without it. Better to use VPN. CIA can decrypt it but the ISP's most likely can't.

Another day another evil bill sponsored by Republicans.

But their voters get mad and deny that they're voting to screw themselves over when they're told they're being played.

This country needs a come-to-Jesus on electronic privacy now.

a reply to: roadgravel

I don't approve, but am pretty sure my info is being sold whether I opt in or not.

It's already extremely impractical for a consumer to sue over ir defend against this... This just seals the deal.

I could see this from your typical Republican establishment type, but I'm not sure why guys like Rand Paul or Mike Lee support it. There must be more to the bill than what is being presented here.

a reply to: intrptr

skip is there, your blocking it, i had the same prob.

originally posted by: TruMcCarthy
I could see this from your typical Republican establishment type, but I'm not sure why guys like Rand Paul or Mike Lee support it. There must be more to the bill than what is being presented here.

That's exactly what I thought. Rand Paul? What?