---
date: 2017-02-26
draft: false
title: Internet Privacy Rules in Part Face a Halt at the FCC
tags: ['politics', 'privacy']
---

**[Via NPR](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/24/517050966/fcc-chairman-goes-after-his-predecessors-internet-privacy-rules):**

> Consumer advocacy groups have argued that the ISPs have a broader capacity to collect data on people than websites and digital services, given that ISPs connect users to all those websites and services in the first place.
> ISPs might use the collected data for their own promotions or sell it to data brokers for marketing or other uses.<!-- excerpt -->

Rolling back privacy protections for consumers is _only_ good for ISPs. This move reflects the current FCC chair's willingness to work for the interests of the businesses his agency should be regulating over those of consumers.

All this amounts to is a violation of customer privacy in order to allow ISPs to better market subpar products that exist only due to their existing, near-monopoly positions in the marketplace.

The sooner ISPs become [dumb pipes](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumb_pipe), the better.
