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The House of Representatives voted today repeal rules preventing internet service providers from selling their customers’ web browsing and app usage data without explicit consent. The Senate passed the same bill last week, which means the only obstacle that remains is a signature from President Trump—and the White House has already signaled he will do so.

The rules would have required ISPs to get explicit opt-in consent from customers before selling their sensitive data, including web browsing history and app usage data. The rules hadn’t gone into effect yet, and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai stopped the first provision, which would have required ISPs to keep customer data secure—what a concept!—from going into effect earlier this month.

Without these rules, “there will be no strong federal protection for consumers when it comes to how their ISP can use their information,” Dallas Harris, a policy fellow at the privacy advocacy group Public Knowledge, told Gizmodo. Under the current statute, customers must be allowed to opt out of letting their ISP sell their data, but without a rule to interpret that statute, it’s much harder to enforce. And the 2-1 Republican majority at the FCC is hardly desperate to enforce that rule. Eric Null, the policy counsel at the Open Technology Institute, told Gizmodo it’s “highly unlikely” that we’d see any enforcement by the FCC if a provider doesn’t provide reasonable measures to opt out.

The rules were repealed using the Congressional Review Act, which was used only once before the Trump administration, but has been implemented seven times since January. Essentially, this means the FCC can’t issue any “substantially similar” rules in the future.

Gigi Sohn, former counselor for ex-FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, told Gizmodo that it’s not clear whether this means the FCC would be prevented from passing stronger rules in the future, and that ISPs may not have “given a whole lot of thought” to that possibility. But it seems that ISPs are betting that this would act as a “nuclear option,” eliminating the possibility of future regulation by the FCC.

So, what does this mean for consumers? Harris told Gizmodo that they’ll “have to take their privacy into their own hands.” Practically speaking, Harris said, this means you should “get online right now, get on your ISP’s website” and opt out of having your data sold. It might also mean getting a VPN—a private network that routes all traffic through its servers—though you’d have to pick one you trust not to sell your data, too. Harris also fears that the repeal will have a “chilling effect” on broadband adoption among those who still

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While those rules have not been implemented as of yet, they require that internet service suppliers (ISPs) tell consumers what information of theirs is being collected and how it is being shared. Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that these rules force ISPs to get explicit consent from the consumer before selling information, which can include browsing history and geolocation.

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You think your stink is invisible, but a hound's nose can "see" your tracks like the noonday sun.

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Originally posted by 1gkek:
So on this note, who do we like for VPN providers?

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Originally posted by henryaz:

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Originally posted by 1gkek:
So on this note, who do we like for VPN providers?

PIA, integrates well with OpenVPN, too. $40/year. On a Mac, use Viscosity for your client. On the iPhone, all the functionality you need is built in. Use the OpenVPN client app.
 

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Originally posted by Prefontaine:
That's not good enough, they also want to sell your data. Bullshit.

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Originally posted by henryaz:
PIA, integrates well with OpenVPN, too. $40/year. On a Mac, use Viscosity for your client. On the iPhone, all the functionality you need is built in. Use the OpenVPN client app.
 

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Originally posted by 46and2:
HR320 and Senate Joint Resolution 34 repeals the Internet Privacy Rule / FCC Privacy Protections, and lets ISPs (continue to, as they always have) sell your search history.

Both passed and it's now headed to Trump.

The sponsor, Representative Blackburn, took $693,000 from the industry and has never voted against it.

Here's a list of 50 GOP Senators who support it.

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Originally posted by ensigmatic:
what they plan to do .

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Originally posted by Jimineer:
What email provider do you use or think is more secure than the big name providers? I've heard Protonmail in Switzerland is free and they encrypt your mail on their servers.