Say goodbye to your browsing privacy
Jazmyne Boozer, Staff Writer
Graphic courtesy of Miranda Bradford
Yep that’s right, you no longer possess what you search online. What’s even worse is that other companies and organizations can capitalize on what you browse on the Internet. In fact, companies such as Verizon, AT&T, Comcast and others are allowed to sell your internet browsing history to the highest bidder.
On March 28, Congress voted to repeal the FCC’s laws that allowed consumers to browse the internet without fear of their personal information to be stolen or sold. Although the FCC’s laws protected internet privacy (except with companies like Facebook and Twitter who have always capitalized on their consumers’ internet searches) they were often confusing and vague. Once other companies found that the laws were vague and other companies like Facebook could capitalize on their consumers they lobbied to repeal these laws that barred them from doing the same. The Trump administration then repealed the confusing FCC laws and created resolutions to prevent others from repealing the new laws. This means that when Trump signs the legislation, it will be nearly impossible to rewrite the privacy laws in order to gain back the right for consumers to own their browsing history.
The new laws gives companies the right to not only your internet history, but your app usage, your mobile location data, content of emails and messages, financial information, and your health data. The laws also allow the company to sell this information to whomever they choose. There are a few ways to protect your sensitive information. Buying your own private router helps by encrypting where you browse. It will also help to only browse secure sites that begin with https rather than http. Secure sites often have privacy policies that help protect the consumers.
If Trump signs the legislation, which is to be expected, these laws could be enacted by the end of the year.
