House Schedules Vote on Eliminating Consumer Online Privacy Rights Next Week

Electronic Frontier Foundation ^ | 3/24/2017 | Ernesto Falcon

[Freedom56v2]

House Schedules Vote on Eliminating Consumer Online Privacy Rights next week. Majority Leader McCarthy Confirms House to Immediately Act on Behalf of the Cable and Telephone Industry Following the Senate Vote

Yesterday, Senate by thin margin of 50 to 48 voted to take away the privacy rights of Internet users as a favor to cable and telephone industry. Now the House is planning to take up the legislation immediately next week before people can discover the damage they are about to inflict to consumer privacy online.

These Are Legal Rights To Privacy They're Dismantling:

Americans have enjoyed a legal right to privacy from your communications provider under Section 222 of the Telecommunications Act for more than twenty years. When Congress made that law, it had a straightforward vision in how it wanted the dominate communications network (at that time the telephone company) to treat your data, recognizing that you are forced to share personal information in order to utilize the service and did not have workable alternatives.

Now Congress has begun to reverse course by eliminating your communication privacy protections in order to open the door for the cable and telephone industry to aggressively monetize your personal information. Proponents of such a drastic course change in law would have you believe that a repeal of the Federal Communications Commission's updated privacy rules for broadband providers would still leave your privacy protections intact. This understates the gravity of what H.J. Res. 86 and S.J. Res 34 may do to consumer privacy. Make no mistake, if Congress decides to codify a repeal of consumer privacy under the Congressional Review Act (as opposed to simply amending the law or the FCC changing the privacy rules again), it can have a serious impact on your legal right to privacy in your communications over broadband.

[Freedom56v2]

Does anyone have any information on this? Given what has been in the news regarding surveillance, I don't know who or what to trust!

This resolution has passed both House and Senate.

In trying to read through this, I find it very confusing--I do note that the Republicans supported it, the Dems did not--however, given the track record of the GOP lately, I am not sure this is good just because they voted for it...ON the other hand, they are overturning new rules Obama put in December.

My son, an IT guy in San Jose, is very concerned about this. OF course, he was talking over my head in trying to explain the ramifications, but gist of his concern is privacy issues. I am not sure I agree with him--which is why I come to Free Republic for those who might have more information on this.

I note Flake Sponsored it in Senate (red flag) and Marsha Blackburn in House (she is a conservative).

Here is additional information:

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/115-2017/h202

Many Republicans saw these new rules as a power grab during the closing days of the Obama Administration. The rule was issued on December 2, 2016 and took effect on January 3, 2017, less than three weeks before President Trump took office. Supporters of the bill argue that the legislation would prevent the one-size-fits-all regulation.

“Under the FTC’s watch, our internet and data economy has been the envy of the world. The agency’s evidence-based approach calibrates privacy and data-security requirements to the sensitivity of information collected,” Senate lead sponsor Flake wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.

“The FCC rules subject all web browsing and app usage data to the same restrictive requirements as sensitive personal information. That means that information generated from looking up the latest Cardinals score or checking the weather in Scottsdale is treated the same as personal health and financial data.”

ISP companies also contended that the FCC rules have placed them at a disadvantage with other non-ISP Internet companies that also collect user data, like Netflix or Facebook. What opponents say

Privacy advocates warn that the legislation could produce dire consequences for consumer privacy, with Privacy News Online calling it “a bill to let telecoms sell your private Internet history.”

“Its goal is to remove all the hard-earned net neutrality regulations gained to protect your internet history from advertisers and and worse,” they wrote. “Specifically, the FCC had been able to prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from spying on your internet history, and selling what they gathered, without express permission. This legal protection on your internet history is currently under attack thanks to these 24 Senators and lots of ISP lobbying spend.”

That’s not false, as ISPs have been previously shown to sell user data to third parties, who in turn use it for marketing or other purposes.

[dp0622]

I get 24 bucks for letting an app download all my purchases from amazon across all of my devices.

I see the amazon spreadsheet and that’s the info they take.

Could they be taking more? Sure.

But my life is pretty boring and my bank account is too :)

[Jack Hammer]

I can’t claim much knowledge on this subject, and I’m no consumer expert, but I suspect that, at the very least, we might anticipate an enormous uptick in spam emails (and possibly telephone calls, too) trying to sell us all sorts of junk.

[SoFloFreeper]

My understanding is that what Republicans are essentially doing is allowing ISPs (mine is AT&T, yours might be Comcast) to do what Google, Yahoo!, etc. are already doing: track and sell info for marketing reasons.

Valerie Jarrett’s man child didn’t handcuff Google or Yahoo! in that regard, so why should ISPs? They shouldn’t.

[crusher2013]

This is a big loser issue at the ballot box.

The GOP is trying to return to its normal status as the minority party.

This is so obvious, its almost laughable to have to point it out.

[Java4Jay]

The implant chip is coming next

[Freedom56v2]

get 24 bucks for letting an app download all my purchases from amazon across all of my devices.

I see the amazon spreadsheet and that’s the info they take.

Could they be taking more? Sure.

But my life is pretty boring and my bank account is too :)

---

Well, I guess I would say, it is one thing when YOU are getting the monetization of your data...it is another when someone else gets paid for it—we pay a small fortune for internet provider—cell, cable, internet, etc.

Here s an interesting video sent to me by a friend about data monetization...through your electric meter

https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2017/03/27/more-on-the-iot/

I wonder if what is considered pretty boring today will be considered prohibited and very UnPC tomorrow—perhaps like FR ;(

Greetings!
~Freeper formerly known as bushwon ;)

[Freedom56v2]

The implant chip is coming next

---

You know that is a concern. However, will they even need it if they are surveilling everyone’s phone, tv, dishwasher, smartmeter, etc.

Part of what made me decide to post this here is that my son, who is crazy busy with his new job in San Jose (IT guy), was concerned enough to call me very unhappy that GOP had supported this...He is conservative/libertarian type—but does not do much beyond voting...no Obama fan, but very very concerned...Wonders why anyone should need to be collecting and SELLING his data...

Here is an interesting video about data monetization from data collected on smart meters.

https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2017/03/27/more-on-the-iot/

[dp0622]

Hey bro!!! :)

Gotta memorize the new name!!

Great post..

Scary one but with Trump in the house for four years, FR will be alive and well.

[Hugin]

From what I’ve read this will allow your ISP to sell a record of all the sites you visit so companies can profile you to sell you stuff. Of course people could do a lot of other things with that info too.

[Freedom56v2]

My understanding is that what Republicans are essentially doing is allowing ISPs (mine is AT&T, yours might be Comcast) to do what Google, Yahoo!, etc. are already doing: track and sell info for marketing reasons.

Valerie Jarrett’s man child didn’t handcuff Google or Yahoo! in that regard, so why should ISPs? They shouldn’t.

________________________________

Thanks for that explanation...I guess I don’t think ANYONE SHOULD BE SELLING DATA FOR MARKETING REASONS. I would like to think that President Trump, of all people, would understand the importance of privacy. Perhaps he will reconsider merits of this and not sign it.

No one needs to be or should be selling our data.

[Freedom56v2]

This is a big loser issue at the ballot box.

The GOP is trying to return to its normal status as the minority party.

This is so obvious, its almost laughable to have to point it out.
______________________

I would have to agree with you...my son was hoppin mad when he called me at 11:30 central time after finishing work... He is very unhappy with GOPe—Ryan controlled House—this and the Obamacare bill have really disappointed him.

[Freedom56v2]

at the very least, we might anticipate an enormous uptick in spam emails (and possibly telephone calls, too)

---

Goodie :(

[SoFloFreeper]

I suppose it is part and parcel of the advertising biz. TV stations get info on their viewers, audience, etc. so they know which advertisers to solicit. Nothing wrong with that. I think those yearly “privacy” notices are still in effect.

[raybbr]

tech ping

[Freedom56v2]

Oh, I was under the impression that people voluntarily signed up to be Neilson viewers and that is the information that is shared...I will call and see if Cable company is tracking and monetizing my viewing.

Guess I have watched too much Hannity, too many futuristic big brother movies on SciFi channel and too many documentaries of pre-war Germany, China, etc. on History Channel...

Given what is going on right now in Washington regarding our President, I feel citizen should be concerned about their data being monitored and monetized. Though my data is boring and not considered classified, it is classified to me and I don’t want it shared.

[RC one]

This is some bullshit and I don’t think the vast majority of voters voted for it.

[An.American.Expatriate]

"The Congressional Review Act (CRA), is a law that was enacted by the United States Congress as section 251 of the Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996 (Pub.L. 104–121). The law empowers Congress to review, by means of an expedited legislative process, new federal regulations issued by government agencies and, by passage of a joint resolution, to overrule a regulation. Once a rule is thus repealed, the CRA also prohibits the reissuing of the rule in substantially the same form or the issuing of a new rule that is substantially the same, "unless the reissued or new rule is specifically authorized by a law enacted after the date of the joint resolution disapproving the original rule" (5 U.S. Code § 801(b)(2)). Congress has a window of time lasting 60 legislative days (i.e., days that the U.S. Congress is actually in session, rather than calendar days) to disapprove of any given rule; otherwise the rule will go into effect at the end of this period."

IOW, Congress is rolling back last minute regulations from the previous administration. It is not the job of the FCC (or any other executive branch agency) to dictate law - they may make regulations and rules to implement the laws Congress has passed and the President has signed.

AFAIC a good thing. If the privacy lobby wants these regulations, then they should ask the Congress to pass a bill and the ask the President to sign it.

[a fool in paradise]

I have no support for expanding the marketing of personal information but I’ve been against it at levels for 30 years and that was met with shrugs.

For some reason libs think this is somehow MORE horrific but I don’t see it that way.

More of the same.

But roll back all of the Obamunist’s policies, especially those he put through AFTER election day 2016.

[a fool in paradise]

Samsung televisions spy on home viewers and even THAT isn’t generating the same level of outrage from libs.