Companies Aren’t off the Hook When It Comes to User Privacy

The Federal Communications Commission privacy guidelines would have put some of this control back in consumers’ hands: They required broadband providers to obtain opt-in consent from consumers to use and share sensitive information, and to allow users to opt out of the use and sharing of non-sensitive information, meaning the companies could use and share non-sensitive information until the consumer tells them otherwise.

Internet service provider lobbyists and the current FCC chairman have argued that these privacy regulations are unfair because they single out telecommunications companies, whereas “edge providers”—companies that run internet platforms and services like Google or Facebook—aren’t being regulated in the same way. Put differently, this argument basically says that companies like Google are already keeping records of users’ search history, so why can’t broadband providers also keep records of users’ browsing history? But this sort of “race to the bottom” mentality misses the point, and it’s harmful from a privacy standpoint. Both types of companies should be more explicit about their practices for handling user information, and both should give users control over how this information is used, regardless of whether it’s required. Users’ trust, not to mention their business, is on the line.