Congress voted to nuke broadband privacy, but there are a few limited steps we can still take to protect our data.
Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project & Daniel Kahn Gillmor, Senior Staff Technologist, ACLU Sppech, Privacy, and Technology
Congress has voted to reverse new FCC privacy protections that would have required internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T to seek your permission before sharing information about your browsing history, location history, contacts, and other personal information. Last Tuesday, President Trump signed the measure.
There are some limited steps we as individuals can still take to protect our data. But the truth is that none of them are adequate when the companies that run wires into our home are determined to spy on our use of their services. The best thing Americans can do is to exercise their rights as citizens in a democratic society through activism, voting, working to support and oppose candidates, etc. Right now, people need to make their displeasure heard, loud and clear. Check to see if your senators and representative voted to protect the interests of Big Telecom, or the interests of individuals who don't want to be spied upon, profiled, bought and sold, and possibly discriminated against. If they did the former, voice your displeasure. Speak up online, support federal legislation to restore these protections, advocate for your state governments to take action to fill the gap left by Congress - and don't let your memory of this travesty fade away, as telecom-supporting members of Congress are counting on you to do.
Read the full post here.
