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Advertorial: It Won’t Be Long Before ISPs Can Sell Your Data

maandag 3 april 2017, 11:42 door Redactie

In March, 2017, Internet users across the U.S. were shocked to hear that the U.S. Senate voted to eliminate current Internet privacy rules. The bill, introduced by republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona and co-sponsored by 23 other Republicans, overturns Federal Communications Commission regulations that required Internet service providers (ISPs) to obtain approval from customers before selling their information.

The Senate voted voted along party lines in a 50-48 vote, with Republicans supporting the measure to abolish these privacy rules. The vote moved on to the House of Representatives, where they too voted along party lines in a 215-205 vote. Now the bill goes to the president, where there’s a very real likelihood that it will pass.

Removing these regulations means that ISPs can profit off consumer data without them ever knowing. ISPs can track information like your geolocation so they know where you work and where your kids go to school. They can see what you’re searching online to tell when you’re sick or what types of products you’re shopping for. They can even guess when you wake up in the morning based on when you log in to your computer or open the browser on your phone.

Without your knowledge, ISPs will be able to profit off your data by selling it to the highest bidder. This will allow advertisers to target ads to you based on your Internet activity, shopping habits, and more. Not only is it a breach of privacy to you, but it means ISPs will be able to profit off you in more ways than simply charging you for service.

ISPs argue that this would be no different than what sites like Google and Facebook are already doing, in which they develop customer profiles to help display the most relevant ads for the customer. The difference is that ISPs will be able to see everything you do online, whereas Google and Facebook can only see information within their own network. It violates customer trust, and even if they have the option to opt out, it may be a difficult process that many may not know exists.

If this measure does pass, however, you’re not at a complete loss when it comes to data privacy. You might consider routing your Internet activity through a virtual private network (VPN). Before you use a VPN, it’s wise to read reviews online. One of the sites you can use for VPN reviews is TheBestVPN.com. VPN services mask your IP address so ISPs can’t track your activity, and they encrypt your data to add security over public networks. The best thing to do is to be prepared and protect your data if this measure passes.