No Democrat Voted for the Bill to Strip Privacy Rights
By a vote of 215-205 the Republican-controlled House of Representatives just voted to kill privacy rules instituted under the Obama administration. Now, internet service providers can – without your permission – sell your browsing habits and history to the highest bidder. All Democrats voted against the measure, and just 15 Republicans joined them. Arizona Republican Jeff Flake sponsored the legislation.
The Senate has already passed the bill, so it will head to President Donald Trump’s desk. He is expected to sign it.
“The vote overturned rules passed in October by the Federal Communications Commission that tightened limits on what internet service providers (ISPs) could do with their users’ data,” Mother Jones reports. “The rules, which would have taken effect later this year, required ISPs to notify consumers about the type of information they collect, and obtain their consent, before selling it to third parties. The rules also made ISPs more accountable for preventing data breaches.”
President Trump in January appointed Ajit Pai to head the FCC. When Democrats labeled him anti-privacy, conservatives attacked. Mother Jones notes Pai “has argued that the rules put ISPs at a disadvantage to internet companies such as Google and Facebook, which are able to harvest and monetize personal information more freely.”
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