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Monday, March 27, 2017

Americans one step closer to losing control of their browser history

The Senate voted to kill Obama-era online privacy regulations, a first step toward allowing internet providers such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon to sell your browsing habits and other personal information as they expand their own online ad businesses.

Those rules, not yet in effect, would have required internet providers to ask your permission before sharing your personal information.

That’s a much stronger privacy-protection weapon than letting them use your data until you tell them to stop. As anyone who has ever tried to stop getting targeted ads on the internet knows, opting out is hard.

Without those protections, consumer advocates fear that broadband providers will be able to do what they like with people’s data.

“Advertisers and marketers are lining up to get access to all the information that’s now available about us,” said Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, which advocates for tougher internet privacy measures.

Online privacy? What online privacy?

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14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Time to cut the cord.

Anonymous said...

I want my privacy!

Anonymous said...

I realize Congress, with their new found Republican majority, is anxious to repeal every Obama regulation but I really don't see how this will benefit the American people.

Anonymous said...

google incognito helps.

Anonymous said...

You'll never cut the cord everybody wants internet.

Anonymous said...

As long as Uncle Sam doesn't tell my wife ...

Anonymous said...

11:14 they are not looking to benefit the American people, only big business. Get a clue.

Rebel Without a Clue said...

It doesn't matter if you have privacy settings set on your browser or not. Once the URL request leaves your computer and is heading to the next proxy server on your broadband carriers network, the URL request is logged along with the IP of the requesting machine (in this case it would be the IP of the router on the network). All that needs to be done is to see what router has that IP address and voila, let the targeting ads begin. A little over simplified but I think that you all get the point.

Anonymous said...

This is just another ploy for Comcast to get more $$$$$$. The reason they are changing their name to Xfinity is because the monthly rate increases only stop at infinity...........

Anonymous said...

Duck Duck Go look it up

Anonymous said...

I wasn't talking about my cord I was talking about your cord.

Anonymous said...

If anyone on here watches South Park can you believe how accurate they have become? First there was the season before the election where it was PC culture, a year before it was actually happening. Now you have the Trolling season about to play out. It is like South Park has been predicting the future for the past 4 years.

Anonymous said...

Another step toward me cutting the cord for Internet and Cable TV.
Microsoft windows 10 is nothing but a watchdog watching your every move. I refuse to buy or use a computer with anything higher than Win 7.
Apple is no different. Your smart phone tracks your every move

That car that you bought with Onstar or the various other iterations of Onstar M-Brace, UVO, Ford Sync, track what you listen to on the radio, how you drive, where you go etc.

This needs to stop.

Anonymous said...

Got News > You don't have any control Now > they do !!