The three major US Internet Service Providers (ISPs) Comcast Corp, Verizon Communications Inc, and AT&T Inc have pledged to protect the private data of US citizens in solidarity against the latest internet bill passed by Congress.
“We do not sell our broadband customers’ individual web browsing history. We did not do it before the FCC’s rules were adopted, and we have no plans to do so,” said Gerard Lewis, Comcast’s chief privacy officer, as cited by Reuters.
Bill S.J. Res. 34 reverses a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling passed under the Obama administration that required ISPs to seek customer’s permission before sharing browsing history and other sensitive data such as geolocation, financial, health and children’s information.
White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said killing the rules “will allow service providers to be treated fairly and consumer protection and privacy concerns to be reviewed on an equal playing field.”
However, not everyone is convinced.
A blog post by Verizon’s chief privacy officer, Karen Zacharia, stated the company’s intentions emphatically. “Let’s set the record straight. Verizon does not sell the personal web browsing history of our customers. We don’t do it and that’s the bottom line.”
Both AT&T and Comcast also published similar statements showing a unified front in the face of perceived governmental overreach and to allay fears among their customers.
Zacharia did address the two programs Verizon operates in which it does share user information but emphasized that the company “de-identified information” so that only aggregate and statistical, rather than personal, information is shared with marketers.
The controversial privacy bill received no support from Democrats and even had 10 Republicans dissenting, but was still passed given the current political dynamic in congress.
President Donald Trump has yet to sign the bill into law but is expected to do so in the coming week.
https://www.rt.com/usa/383102-internet-providers-fcc-privacy-change/
Comcast, AT&T: We Totally Respect Your Privacy Even Though We Helped Kill The Law Protecting It:
https://consumerist.com/2017/03/31/comcast-att-we-totally-respect-your-privacy-even-though-we-helped-kill-the-law-protecting-it/
“Verizon does not sell the personal web browsing history of our customers. We don’t do it and that’s the bottom line.”
Why is Verizon collecting the PERSONAL web browsing history of their customers to begin with?
Exactly.
Since my independent wi-fi provider has to use AT&T’s fiber optic lines to provide electricity for our wi-fi towers, I wonder if AT&T also gets to collect any of these wi-fi users browsing histories?
Regardless, they can put all the ads they want onto web pages I visit (and why all of a sudden has FTTWR gotten an ad filled “You may also like” pop-up page?)
Henry and Laura probably needed the extra cashola to keep the site going. I can click that pop-up off just as fast as it pops up. Cause I got the fastest trigger finger on the planet. The nubby protrusion that used to be my foot is more than enough evidence of that fact.
Sure, I’ve accidentally shot most of it off, but I still walk around okay.
Yea… Sure. I believe that about as much as I believe a politician saying “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor”.