ISPs Begin to Whine in Earnest About New Broadband Privacy Rules ISPs have formally begun whining in earnest about the relatively basic new privacy protections passed by the FCC last week. Under the new rules, ISPs have to clearly and transparently inform customers what's being collected, and give customers working opt out tools. In the case of web browsing records, app use, location and financial information, users need to opt in before ISPs can collect, utilize and sell that information. The rules do not explicitly ban charging customers more money to protect their privacy, something pioneered by AT&T.

By and large the rules are not onerous and many ISPs were already doing this, but ISPs were quick to complain anyway. "The Commission’s decision to break with the FTC’s proven privacy framework in favor of a cobbled-together approach that abandons principles of fair competition is profoundly disappointing," the cable industry's top lobbying arm, the NCTA, said in a statement. "Instead of creating a consistent and uniform approach to privacy that consumers can easily understand, today’s result speaks more to regulatory opportunism than reasoned policy," added the group. Many ISPs (and Google) had preferred an FTC-style model for broadband privacy enforcement because the FTC has historically allowed more rampant sharing of a wider variety of "non-sensitive" consumer data, and uses a less aggressive definition of what data is deemed "sensitive" in the first place. AT&T, the company that tried to charge users $40 to $60 more per month via a confusing array of website settings, tried to claim in a statement that the new rules would confuse consumers. "The FCC’s divergent approach will ultimately serve only to confuse consumers, who will continue to see ads based on their web browsing history generated by edge providers even after they have been told by their service provider that their consent is required for use of such information," said the company. Oddly Verizon issued a statement largely supporting the new rules, claiming they do precisely what AT&T and the cable industry claim they don't. "While we will need to closely review the text of the FCC order after it is released, the final order appears to adopt rules that are much more closely aligned with the Federal Trade Commission’s privacy framework that has long applied to our ISP business and that continues to apply to the rest of the internet ecosystem," Verizon said. Granted ISPs that are complaining have themselves to blame for drawing the attention of the FCC in the first place. The broadband sector has long tried to claim that self-regulation was all that's needed to protect consumers. But time and time again companies pushed their luck -- be it via modifying user data packets to Granted ISPs that are complaining have themselves to blame for drawing the attention of the FCC in the first place. The broadband sector has long tried to claim that self-regulation was all that's needed to protect consumers. But time and time again companies pushed their luck -- be it via modifying user data packets to covertly track customers around the internet (without letting users opt out), to attempts to make broadband consumer privacy a luxury option







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Most recommended from 9 comments



camper

just visiting this planet

Premium Member

join:2010-03-21

Bethel, CT 4 recommendations camper Premium Member AT&T is the one sowing the seeds of confusion...

...[AT&T:] The FCC's divergent approach will ultimately serve only to confuse consumers...



Consumers will be confused only if the ISPs try to make the new policy confusing.



It's a simple choice, and the ISPs should present it as such:



Should the consumers allow the ISPs to do massive data harvesting of the online activity of their customers in order to sell that data for the sole profit of the ISPs.

Maelish

join:2014-11-03

Nashville, TN 4 recommendations Maelish Member Only ISPs? So this only affects ISPs? Not websites, aggregates or other companies?