New proposal could affect your internet privacy

The Affordable Care Act is not the only Obama-era policy that Republicans want to change. A set of internet privacy rules passed under his administration last year is also a target.

Companies like Google or Facebook can learn a lot about you based on pages you “like”, who your friends are or what you search for on the internet. But your internet service providers like AT&T, Verizon or Comcast could learn much more.

The current FCC order requires ISP’s to ask you if they can share things like your browser history or app usage and other potentially sensitive details, unless you opt-in.

If this is eliminated, ISP’s no longer need your consent and can share your private information with advertisers.

This ruling could affect millions of consumers and bring basic changes to how they use the internet and they might not ever know it.

“When you pick up your landline telephone in your home and you make a call to your doctor or somebody else, the telephone company is not allowed to take lists of the people that you call and sell it for marketing purposes,” said Jay Stanley, a Senior Policy Analyst at American Civil Liberties Union.

Lawmakers who introduced the bill say they are trying to protect consumers from overreaching internet regulation.

The Senate could vote on the resolution as early as Thursday.