During the dying months of the Obama administration last year, a law was passed that would require internet service providers such as AT&T and Verizon to get customers' permission before using their personal information for advertising purposes.
Before the said law can take effect under the Trump administration, there is now a good chance that it would be eliminated. The Senate passed a resolution Thursday through a 50-48 party line vote that would do away with the said set of internet privacy rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission ( FCC) last year. For the rules to be fully eliminated, the House should pass a bill and it must be signed by President Trump.
The House can use the old but rarely used Congressional Review Act ( CRA) to do away with the rules before they go into effect. The CRA could also stop the FCC from passing similar regulations in the future. Critics of the said internet privacy rules say they are too excessive and restrict constitutional right and unfairly subject service providers to stricter regulations than websites such as Facebook and Google who are allowed to collect customer data.
The Senate vote is being considered by internet service providers as a major win. They have been pushing the Trump administration to undo rules passed under the past FCC leadership during Obama's time.Trade groups also praised the Senate move on the internet privacy rules.
The vote was criticized, on the other hand, by privacy and consumer advocates like the ACLU, Public Knowledge and Free Press.
source:
http://thehill.com/policy/technology/325410-senate-votes-to-block-internet-privacy-regulations
