FCC wants ISPs to get customer permission before sharing personal data

Broadband providers would often be required to get customer permission to use and share personal data they collect under regulations proposed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Broadband providers have an unrivaled ability to track customers and collect personal data, and there currently are no specific rules covering broadband providers and customer privacy, FCC officials said Thursday.

The goal of the rules is to give broadband customers notice, choice and control over their personal data, FCC officials said during a press briefing.

“Your ISP handles all of your network traffic,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler wrote in the Huffington Post. “That means it has a broad view of all of your unencrypted online activity — when you are online, the websites you visit, and the apps you use.”

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here