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How Corporations Could Soon Buy And Sell Your Online History

Senate Republicans voted to let internet service providers sell user data to the highest bidder — without the user's consent.
Posted at 6:04 PM, Mar 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-27 18:04:31-04

Corporations could soon buy and sell your internet browser history to the highest bidder without your consent. That's after Senate Republicans voted to gut Obama-era broadband privacy rules. 

That means Verizon, Comcast, AT&T and others could collect any information from your internet usage — like where you shop, health questions, personal finances — and sell that data to an advertiser without your knowledge. 

"It's a gold mine of data," Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said while opposing the rule change on the Senate floor. "You let this go to the highest bidder, personal privacy of sensitive information is going to be out the window."

Republicans call the privacy rules needless regulation that "hurts job creators."

House Republicans and President Trump are expected to approve and finalize the new rules.