Today, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to examine privacy rules governing the use of personal consumer data by broadband Internet access service providers. Public Knowledge applauds the FCC for taking this critical step forward to protecting consumer privacy online.
The following can be attributed to Meredith Rose, Staff Attorney at Public Knowledge:
“Broadband service providers occupy a unique position in the Internet ecosystem. As gatekeepers to the Internet, they have, by their very nature, access to every bit of data that their customers send and receive online. And, as they move aggressively into advertising markets, they have every incentive to exploit their access to this data and remove all consumer agency in determining where and for what purpose their personal data is used. Without clear guidelines on how this data can be used, consumers face a very real threat of having personal data exposed, sold to third parties without their knowledge, or misused in other fashions.
“This NPRM represents a step forward to protecting consumers’ economic and dignitary rights in their own data. We look forward to a robust comment and response record and working with the FCC and other organizations to ensure that consumers are given the tools and choice to control how broadband providers use their data.”
You may view our latest article, “American privacy in the digital era should not be for sale,” for more information.
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.