Jacob Carpenter

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Comments about internet privacy by U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, including the statement that "nobody's got to use the Internet," are drawing criticism online and from left-leaning organizations.

At a town hall meeting Thursday, the Republican congressman from Menomonee Falls defended his vote to strike down proposed regulations that would stop Internet service providers from collecting and selling customers' data, including their browsing habits. That data can be used by advertisers and other organizations to target customers, which has concerned many Democrats and consumer advocates.

In response to a question, Sensenbrenner started his response by saying, "Nobody's got to use the Internet," then went on to argue it's not the government's role to regulate Internet providers as if they're public utilities.

"I don’t think it’s my job is to tell you that you cannot get advertising with your information being sold," Sensenbrenner said. "My job, I think, is to tell you that you have the opportunity to do it, and then you take it upon yourself to make the choice that the government has given you.”

The comments were posted by a staff member of American Bridge PAC, which supports Democrats and monitors statements by Republican politicians, and picked up by The Washington Post on Saturday.

In a tweet, the American Bridge PAC staff member said Sensenbrenner told his constituents "not to use the internet if they don't like his vote to sell out their privacy to advertisers." Sensenbrenner's press office responded in a tweet: "Actually, he said that nobody has to use the Internet. They have a choice. Big difference."

In most areas, consumers have multiple choices of Internet service providers, allowing them to choose providers based, in part, on their privacy rules. However, Internet providers can make money by sharing customer data or using it for targeted advertising, giving them less incentive to relax their privacy policies.

Sensenbrenner routinely holds town halls, which are often more freewheeling and off-the-cuff compared to his peers in Congress.

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