FCC should bar ‘pay for privacy’ schemes

[Commentary] As the Federal Communications Commission considers restricting what broadband providers can do with our personal surfing data, the agency is weighing whether it should outright ban a practice that’s come to be known as “pay for privacy.”

Certain broadband service providers, most notably AT&T, have begun charging a premium to customers who opt out of having those companies to track their online activities. Privacy and consumer rights advocates are blasting the practice and some are calling for the FCC to outlaw it. The agency should. The FCC’s whole effort to establish rules protecting consumers’ privacy from broadband providers is grounded in a law passed by Congress. Companies shouldn’t be allowed to penalize customers who exercise their legal right to privacy.