As new FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai announced last week, the commission voted on Wednesday, Mar. 1, to negate a set of privacy rules for broadband providers. The rules were adopted in October last year and would have come into effect today.
FCC Removes Privacy Protection Rules
The part of the rule being canceled is the section that covers protection of users' personal information by ISPs with specific recommendations and requirements. According to Tech Crunch, in the original order, ISPs were required to respect security practices appropriately adapted to the size of the provider, the nature and scope of its activities, technical feasibility and the sensitivity of the underlying data.
According to Gizmodo, under the new FCC net rules, internet users will not know anymore what their internet service provider is doing with their data. The prospect of having personal information sold to the advertiser is pretty concerning. And under the new rules, your ISP will never tell you what is happening with your data.
FCC's Decision Will Benefit Advertisers
Advertisers are seeking information that allows them to specifically target consumers based on gender, location, and race. They want to know what websites consumers use, from where they get their news and what time of day they're most likely to check the weather. It is expected that telecom companies would try to increase their profits by selling their customers' data to advertisers.
The internet privacy rules were strongly opposed by telecom companies like Comcast and AT&T, as well as the Internet and Television Association. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a former lawyer for Verizon, seems strongly committed to dismantle these rules. One of his concerns with the FCC's rules is that they supposedly treat internet companies differently, in an unfair way.
FCC's decision appears to roll back the actions taken over the last few years to expand its authority. As Pai said, the ultimate goal is reversing the 2015 Open Internet Order. Moves like the vote to negate the privacy rules for broadband providers are meant to reduce the FCC's mission and scope.
