ISPy with my little eye: Internet browsing history.

You have probably seen the headlines.

In this post, I will explain why this is actually a blessing in disguise

You shouldn't be mad at congress.

You may have recently seen this ad in the New York Times. This message is powerful. It puts the names of exactly who voted for this bill. It follows with a call to action: call your house representative.

This is faulty thinking. What these men did was allow you to be a more free individual. They deregulated ISPs. I know that your gut reaction may be "how dare they, I deserve my privacy" and you're absolutely right. You deserve your privacy. That does not mean you should be upset with the above individuals. If you're going to pout at someone, you should be upset at your ISP. Any ISP who sells your browser history should immediately feel the backlash from their customers. This backlash should come as a hit to the pocketbook, not as a government mandate.

Strict regulation is the cancer of our political era. The tighter a government's grip on business, the more everyday people fall through the cracks. Regulation is actually how we got ourselves into this mess. Special rules here and there that have a butterfly effect. To Verizon, a regulation here and there is quite manageable, but to an upcoming honest ISP, it could mean bankruptcy. What you end up with is an unchallenged oligopoly.

If you oppose ISPs selling your data, vote with your pocketbook. Make a stand against the oligopoly and go with a local ISP instead.

"Private Browsing Data" != "Internet Browser History"

There is a lot of false information going around so let me lay out the facts. The bill the Senate passed blocks a rule that hadn't gone into effect yet, which would have blocked ISPs from selling data without permission. That's right, with the passage of this bill, nothing changes. As it turns out, it actually goes farther than that. ISPs will still be subject to Section 222. Section 222 regulates how ISPs can use“customer proprietary network information.” It doesn’t define what that means in a Web browsing context. Despite that, Dallas Harris says that 222 requires ISPs to give customers a chance to opt out of sharing information.

Although it was well publicized that ISPs will be able to sell your internet history, the facts are: that claim is completely unfounded. There are no ISPs that have come forward and said they will be selling the information, nor is there any court precedent for this type of case.

In conclusion...

• Government loosening their grip is actually a good thing because it allows for alternative businesses to start up and paves the way for a brighter future.
• Congress didn't betray you, your ISPs betrayed you.
• If you disagree use your pocket book vote.
• Section 222 applies to ISPs and will strictly limit how they can use your data anyways.

Thanks for reading
--Nate