Congress repeals internet privacy rules

[Sanlmar]

Last fall, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that if ISP's want to collect and sell personal information, like your browsing history, they needed to get your permission first -- that is, ask you to "opt-in" to their data-sharing programs.

Congress just revoked the opt-in provisions entirely. The President is expected to rubber stamp the deregulation. If Trump signs this he is dead to me.

Russians need to buy congressmen's ISP search history and have some fun.

I get the whole webz model is about selling information but I can avoid tech companies like Facebook & Google.

Neither fucking political party supports privacy. For me it's a matter of principle. Nobody seems to care either which is an even greater worrisome sign for 'Murica.

VPNs and Bitcoin. Arghh

[DirtyB]

If Trump signs this he is dead to me.

Spicer said he's signing it. Trump was clear during the campaign that he's anti-net neutrality and wants to give ISPs everything they want. This is a guy who has never used a computer.

[Dan Druff]

I agree that this is bad, but the histrionic panic over this is misleading and overblown.

The bad thing is that ISPs will now be free of rules preventing harvesting data about our browsing habits, and then selling it. There's no way to frame that as something good. There's no way to spin it. This is a huge violation of privacy which should not be allowed.

BUT

Guess what? Your privacy is already compromised. That's because large websites such as Google and Facebook already harvest information on you, and are fully allowed to do so without your consent.

Google is the most concerning. If you repeatedly google bestiality porn and click through to sites carrying it, Google is currently allowed to harvest that information.

"Yeah, but google doesn't know who I am", you might respond.



Google has many ways to identify you. Do you use gmail? Google can easily identify you through that. Do you google yourself or other things directly associated with you? Google can use algorithms to figure out that IS you, especially by combining it with your IP address.

Or perhaps you make a purchase online which google or its subsidiaries process in some way. They will get your IP, and then can match it to your google search.

It is tough to routinely use google and stay anonymous from it, unless you really try and cover all bases.

So yes, the ISPs are correct to complain, "Why us and not them?", but the fix should have been the opposite solution -- to apply the same privacy rules to large websites, and not to relax them for ISPs.

It's also important to understand that this bill transfers privacy protection responsibility from the FCC to the FTC. That's how Republicans have been talked into it. They were told, "This isn't the FCC's job. The FTC handles privacy. Let them do the job they're supposed to be doing."

So if you picture in your mind that Republicans are greedily laughing about your lost privacy while ISPs surreptitiously slip them money, think again. Most Republicans in Congress really believe they are simply taking power away from the FCC which it shouldn't have in the first place, and are moving it to where it belongs.

Except I don't agree. This is a total spot for "repeal and replace", meaning that the FCC should not be stripped of its responsibility here until the FTC has the same or better rules in place.

Ideally, there would be bills giving people MORE privacy online, not less.

But will this usher in a new era of vulnerability whereas before you enjoyed privacy? No. You already lost your privacy to a large degree.

[Sanlmar]

If Trump signs this he is dead to me.

Spicer said he's signing it. Trump was clear during the campaign that he's anti-net neutrality and wants to give ISPs everything they want. This is a guy who has never used a computer.

70 yr old did crush the election with his phone. So there is that.

I'm down with the whole laissez faire thing.

If wiring municipalities was truly free enterprise and not reliant on government permission then I might have rolled with this.



I'd dress my new pitchman in another shirt and differentiate myself from my competitor by abiding by "opt in" with my customers. It'd be a great battle of good vs evil. Shit would work itself out in the marketplace.

But again, ISP's are often monopolies so government ought to protect me in every way possible.

[Sanlmar]

Already addressed Google & Facebook Druff. Not comparable

[sonatine]

Already addressed Google & Facebook Druff. Not comparable

Are you even really surprised at this point that he would take a contrarian position?

[thesidedish]

all I know is I can be on fb on a cpu and get advertisements from stuff I looked up when I was on another cpu. We should all deactivate that scam shit

[adamantium]

Are all mericans on cpus?

[Sanlmar]

Already addressed Google & Facebook Druff. Not comparable

Are you even really surprised at this point that he would take a contrarian position?

I know our boy enjoys his social media. Did he really think his ability to share pictures of his egg salad sandwich at no dollar cost was an act of charity by Facebook?

Or that posting this "revelation" about Google or Facebook's model ... nvm, it just isn't worth continuing this line.

Realtors, for instance, can buy data from Facebook keying on the word "divorce". Bink, looks like there might be an opportunity for a listing.

Your shared life is a business. How did he think this worked?

Google & Facebook and "free" services are quite another discussion... which has been had a long time ago.

Druff is not a hard line privacy guy historically. I like the spirit of your post but he is kinda consistent with his approach.

Get heeem

[The_Lurker]

So, Druff is into ZOOPORN ?

[BetCheckBet]

I disagree druff always been hard line around privacy especially his own.

[Deal]

The bad thing is that ISPs will now be free of rules preventing harvesting data about our browsing habits, and then selling it. There's no way to frame that as something good. There's no way to spin it. This is a huge violation of privacy which should not be allowed.

Then be the hero we need and don't allow it. Implement SSL on your webserver so that our ISP's have no idea what pages we are viewing on here. No excuses.

[Shizzmoney]

While this legislation sucks, I just assumed that the government and ISPs did this already.

The internet infrastructure orgs in place (private and public...some would say quasi-public) also know as long as people get free porn, music, video streaming, and Kodi.....most people won't give two fucks about this.

[sonatine]

While this legislation sucks, I just assumed that the government and ISPs did this already.

Nnnnooooope, not like this. This is blue skys.

Browsing data profiling is going to become a factor in everything from insurance rates to job interviews.

The short-sightedness of this legislation is absolutely jaw dropping.

[BetCheckBet]

What happens when your employers learn about the "niggas doing dumb things" posts?

[Sanlmar]

[Crowe Diddly]

Its a lot, LOT more than browsing data now that pretty much everything in everyone's house is internet connected. To compare it to facebook and google is silly. Facebook and google are avoidable. The ISP is not.

[sonatine]

Its a lot, LOT more than browsing data now that pretty much everything in everyone's house is internet connected. To compare it to facebook and google is silly. Facebook and google are avoidable. The ISP is not.

If I post a link here like fluffy kittens in space and Druff clicks on it, his sons private pre-school can purchase Druff's history and say "yeah we are going to pass on taking your son because you seem interested in the 5% nation philosophy and that simply isnt how we roll here".

Facebook.. google.. totally irrelevant in terms of the attack surface this rulling creates.

[Dan Druff]

For those angry at my post, go reread it. I didn't defend this action. I said it was bad. I didn't make any excuses or spin it as a good thing.

I was fair and honest about it.

Google and Facebook have been playing fast and loose with our private information for a long time. Sure, you can avoid Facebook, but Google is pretty damn tough to avoid, especially given the other sites they own.

The solution is to enact tougher privacy laws, not soften the laws for ISPs. Republicans fucked up there, but the longtime silence by liberals, regarding abuses by their darlings Facebook and Google, is defeaning.

I just don't understand the "OMG muh privacy" panic when google can harvest whatever the fuck they want and no one seems to give a shit.

[FPS_Russia]

You can trust liberals, instead of letting anybody monetize their videos and maybe make a living like youtube or targeted ads.

Instead this will be about ISP's letting oil companies remove man made climate change from results. You know how right wingers do, this will be about letting Mercers behavioral science companies fool Americans into supporting conservative policy, again. It'll become Fair and Balanced like FOX News. Slow lane for TYT and liberal leaning, lightning fast for Louder w Crowder etc, who knows what they'll try to pull. It'll be evil if they can get away with it.


Ill search Jill stein, sorry no results did you mean Alex Jones? jk but you know what i mean.

I bet porn sites will see a huge drop in traffic haha might as well go to church w Pence.