Republicans May Allow ISPs to Sell Your Data

A set of online privacy policies passed by the FCC during the Democratic regime has become a target of the Republican administration. If Trump takes down the policy, it can compromise the privacy of millions of internet users.

Jeff Flake, Senator of Arizona, is planning to introduce a new resolution that will allow wireless companies and ISPs to sell your browsing data unless you opt out explicitly. The current FCC laws ban ISPs and wireless service carriers from selling your browsing history, health information, and location to third parties. This will change if the new resolution becomes a law.

Google and Facebook already know a lot about you, based on your online activities. Your wireless carrier and ISP can learn even more. Current laws, however, prevent them from monetizing this data. Your internet provider can see which sites you visit and your mobile carrier can find out the amount of time you spend on various sites and different apps. If Jeff has his way, they will soon be able to sell that data to the highest bidders.

Until last year, ISPs could sell your browsing data because the privacy rules imposed by FTC were not very stringent. That changed in October 2016 when FCC passed a new set of stringent rules. Now, these rules risk getting abolished even before they come into effect.

While you can opt out of this scheme, you should consider using VPN if you want to truly stay anonymous. VPN security can keep your information safe from prying eyes.

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