What the “New” Internet Privacy Ruling Means to You

The more things change, the more they stay the same…

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about internet privacy laws lately. The topic has been a matter of debate for awhile now, with the legislative pendulum swinging back and forth–but with no real change as the result.

During the Obama era, laws were passed that would protect consumer privacy online. In late 2017, when the laws were to take effect, it would have become illegal for Internet Service Providers to exchange their services for the right to sell their customers’ data. ISPs would be required to disclose how they store and use customer data, and they would have to provide customers with the ability to opt-out of any data sharing. That law would have established that your browsing history belongs to you, the consumer. But that law has now been repealed by Congress, which means that your personal data will be considered the property of your ISP.

So while many are rightfully concerned about the new ruling’s impact on personal privacy, the net effect is zero–the previously-passed privacy law never had the chance to go into effect, which means there will be no real change to the ways that ISPs handle your data. Before the privacy law was introduced, ISPs were already allowed access to your browsing history, app usage, location data, and other online activities–and had the right to sell that data to advertisers.

The ISPs’ data handling is also no different from individual websites like Facebook and Google who routinely sell customer data. The difference is that ISPs are seen as a utility, providing a necessary service, like electricity or water. And most communities don’t have more than one ISP available in their area, which means that customers don’t have a choice in the matter, except to stop using the internet altogether. Consumers are at the mercy of their providers’ policies.

So is this latest ruling a cause for alarm? Yes and no. Data is typically sold in sets, according to relatively broad demographics, so no personally-identifiable information gets exposed. But without internet privacy laws in place, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that ISPs could eventually sell information that (purposely or not) reveals individuals’ identities along with their data. The concern is that the pendulum is swinging back in favor of the corporation’s profit motives, rather than towards their customers’ rights to privacy.

Major providers have come out on different sides of the debate. In light of the ruling, Comcast released a statement reaffirming its policy to keep customers’ browsing history private, into the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Verizon announced the test of a new app that could become standard on all of its subscribers’ Android devices in the near future. The app tracks users’ app installation and usage, allowing Verizon to target users with relevant ads based on that data.

So if data privacy is important to you, be sure to read the fine print that’s sure to come from your ISP in the near future. Their policies are destined to change, as the internet privacy debate rages on.

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