FCC Issued Regulations Preventing Carriers From Selling Private User Information

Recently, news came out that AT&T was spying on its users and selling that information to government agencies in exchange for millions of dollars from taxpayer money. In response, the Federal Communications Commission issued new regulations to make sure that other companies don’t follow suit.

The FCC regulation was passed in historic fashion, granting users much more power over their own information that carriers collect, The Washington Post reports. The new rules place some new limitations on how ISPs collect user data while also allowing said users to forbid companies from sharing any of the information that they do manage to collect.

Now, the matter of collecting user data to sell for profit has been a hot button issue among ISPs, regulators, and privacy groups for years. Companies are increasingly reliant on the revenue generated from selling user information to advertising firms, which many digital right groups oppose.

The AT&T case signifies a new low for these carriers, however, by making a profit off of user data without customers ever knowing that it was even happening. In order to prevent other ISPs from crossing the same line, the new regulations are simply essential for internet users.

The vote was carried out 3-2, USA Today reports, with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler leading the charge. Wheeler also considers the new regulations they just passed as “common sense laws,” which update the books to suit modern needs. Until this regulation was passed, users had very little power over their own information. They could just trust carriers like AT&T not to use their information exactly the way it just did.

As for the two commissioners who voted against the measure, Ajit Pai and Michael O'Rielly, their reasoning fell along the lines of missed opportunities for consumers. According to them, users might not get access to great offers because they wouldn’t allow anyone to tamper with their private information.