FCC chairman proposes new rules to protect online consumer privacy

When Tom Wheeler was appointed chair of the FCC, many feared his history as CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) would taint his ability to head an organization tasked with regulating those industries.

 

 Instead, Wheeler has proven to support both net neutrality and now, more robust privacy protections for online users.

In a recent Huffington Post op/ed, Wheeler discussed how ISPs gather enormous amounts of information about their users, who have little recourse in the services they use or what information is gathered about them in the process:

FCC chair Tom Wheeler

“Think about it. Your ISP handles all of your network traffic. That means it has a broad view of all of your unencrypted online activity  when you are online, the websites you visit, and the apps you use. If you have a mobile device, your provider can track your physical location throughout the day in real time.

Even when data is encrypted, your broadband provider can piece together significant amounts of information about you including private information such as a chronic medical condition or financial problems  based on your online activity.

“The information collected by the phone company about your telephone usage has long been protected information. Regulations of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) limit your phone company’s ability to repurpose and resell what it learns about your phone activity.
“The same should be true for information collected by your ISP.”

Wheeler goes on to say he’s proposing rules to the FCC that would give consumers control over how ISPs can use their data, including new rules that would require ISPs to disclose what information they gather and how they use it, and that users should have final say over how that information is used.