“The U.S. House voted on Tuesday 215-205 to repeal regulations requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers’ privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc’s Google or Facebook Inc.,” David Shepardson reports for Reuters. “The White House said earlier Tuesday that President Donald Trump strongly supports the repeal of the rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission in October.”
“Under the rules, internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geolocation, financial information, health information, children’s information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing,” Shepardson reports. “Last week, the Senate voted 50-48 to reverse the rules.”
“FCC chairman Ajit Pai in a statement praised the decision of Congress to overturn ‘privacy regulations designed to benefit one group of favored companies over another group of disfavored companies.’ Last week, Pai said consumers would have privacy protections even without the Obama internet provider rules, but critics say they will weaker,” Shepardson reports. “An Internet & Television Association statement called the repeal ‘an important step toward restoring consumer privacy protections that apply consistently.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote last Thursday:
We’d like to see “further action by the FCC or Congress” to let the FTC regulate online privacy beyond what, if anything, is currently protected by existing “federal and state laws” posthaste.
We use TunnelBear’s VPN service (especially while using public Wi-Fi) and they offer unlimited data for $49.99 billed yearly which is less than $4.17/month.
SEE ALSO:
Congress votes to repeal FCC Internet privacy rules – March 28, 2017
U.S. Senate votes to overturn Internet privacy rules – March 23, 2017
FCC approves LTE-U devices; ‘big win for wireless consumers’ – FCC Chairman Ajit Pai – February 23, 2017
U.S. FCC chairman wields weed whacker, takes first steps against so-called ‘net neutrality’ – February 3, 2017
How so-called ‘net neutrality’ will fare under President Trump – January 26, 2017
New FCC chairman Ajit Pai vows to take a ‘weed whacker’ to so-called ‘net neutrality’ – January 24, 2017
President Trump elevates Ajit Pai to FCC Chairman – January 23, 2017
“Consumer privacy protections that apply consistently”
Can anyone tell me just what these are under the FTC? Is it true that ISP’s can collect and sell my user data without telling me about it and without my permission? If so, just what sort of data can they collect?
Everything you do online.
Hey I got in before all of the ass kissing Trump posts. Good for me. This repeal stinks but it’s par for the course. Trump is draining the swamp and filling it up with more billionaires.
Not one drop of scum has been removed from the swamp.
Disgusting.
And typical.
Good to see that the effort to return the FCC to what it’s intended to be is proceeding nicely.
“What America needs is one standard across the internet ecosystem and the Federal Trade Commission is the best place for that standard.” – Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore.
Don’t fall for silly headlines from the MSM and leftist tech sites that are easily manipulated by leftist activist groups. Such headlines and articles are designed to bait you. Republicans aren’t “evil.” Republicans simply want one standard — under the FTC, not the FCC — as opposed to the inconsistent and confusing mess Obama left behind.
Please tell us how much you get paid to post this BS. You cannot demand personal freedom and constitutional liberty and then repost this brainless propaganda. What a tool.
Mike.
There’s a new sheriff in town and all your sad Leftist name calling and marching and rioting and shouting no longer works.
When Trump was elected I was looking forward to watching you people lose your minds.
You’re not disappointing.
@ Particle:
First has been on the MDN forums for years spreading lies and propaganda. He claims that the Trump administration is trying to “return the FCC to what it’s intended to be”. What you and he refuse to do is honestly consider what that charter says and how the FCC is not living up to it.
The FCC was created in 1934 and most of the time you nuts hate any government agency created after 1790. You want to return the FCC to a time when all communication was wire and analog radio. That is absurd.
Why can we not make progress and honor the updated mission statement consistent with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which stated in part that the FCC shall “make available so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, rapid, efficient, Nationwide, and world-wide wire and radio communication services with adequate facilities at reasonable charges.”
Well, if commissioners actually followed that mission that is. Instead, corporate puppets like First and Particle seem happy that their corrupt party has made the FCC a rubber stamp office. Instead of competition, we have unregulated regional monopolies, consolidated ownership of telecoms (especially in TV, land line telephone, and radio markets), and a wholesale giveaway of public airways to near permanent corporate ownership.
Has your cable or satellite TV seen any competition to temper the constant price increases? no. Do you have multiple broadband internet providers in most cities? no. Do citizens enjoy net neutrality where all data is charged at the same rate? No, large volume corporations like Netflix get preferred pricing while you pay a premium for slower, data-mined services. Does the FCC implement citizen protections against wiretapping or ensure that corporations disclose their privacy intrusions? no. Does the FCC promote increased speeds and availability in all regions? no. The congressional lapdogs have given the telecommunications companies and advertising outfits like Google everything they want, and now your personal data too.
I hope you are very proud of the continued sellout of national resources and undermining of citizen rights.
Nor are you who call out name calling by name calling. It would probably be a waste of time, but lol upbhipocracy, then STFU!
Doesn’t work? How’s that new healthcare working out for you buddy?
I get it that you think the rules were FCC overreach. However, I reiterate my original questions:
Can you tell me just what consumer protections there are under the FTC? Is it true that ISP’s will now be able to collect and sell my user data without telling me about it and without my permission?
Since that’s something the FCC rules prohibited, how can the statement from Sen. Flake, “This CRA resolution does nothing to change the privacy protections consumers currently enjoy” be true? I enjoyed not having my ISP be able to collect my personal data without my permission. Are you saying that such collection of YOUR personal data without your permission is fine with you?
Dear Apple:
Please save out privacy by improving Safari so users can remain perfectly anonymous.
Oooh, what’s that? You can’t.
Whenever a Republican tries to explain to you that their party is for freedom and individual rights, point to this bill. There is no reason why Comcast should be able to sell my browsing history without my consent. This is all about money. The GOP is rotten and corrupt to the core.
These FCC rules were a personal favor from Obama to Google. It is indeed about money; it was designed to put more money in Google’s pockets.
Online Privacy Vote Is Not About What You Thought
http://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/phil-kerpen/online-privacy-vote-not-about-what-you-thought?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cns&utm_campaign=online-privacy-vote-cns
Great. The freedom to pay a subscription to a VPN service and a slower internet because the idiot representatives in government doesn’t understand that its purpose is not to maximize corporate earnings.
Those new FCC rules were designed to maximize Google’s earnings. Google was in bed with the Obama administration. They were at the White House every week. Trump is in no mood to do Google any special favors.