House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Blackburn Pushing To Set Back Online Privacy Rakes In Industry Funds

The campaign contributions started small, with a handful of donations of a few thousand dollars each. In recent elections, however, it’s ballooned, with AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon each giving one of their favorite politicians in Congress between $15,000 and $20,000 every two years. All told, House Communications Subcommittee Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), author of a controversial resolution to let internet providers sell customers’ search histories to advertisers without notice or permission, has racked up well over half a million dollars in campaign donations from that industry over the course of her career. Privacy advocates are resoundingly against the resolution, designed to undo rules created by President Obama’s Federal Communications Commission in the waning days of his administration. The rules mandated internet providers like Comcast and Verizon get customers’ permission before offering sensitive search histories, like financial and health information, to marketers.