On Thursday, the Senate voted 50-to-48 to pass a bill that will allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to continue selling data about their customers’ Web browsing and app usage. The vote split largely along party lines with Republicans favoring the measure. The House is expected to pass a similar bill soon.
Back in October, the Federal Communications Commission had put into place rules that required the ISPs to get permission before sharing or selling Web browsing data. Those rules were scheduled to take affect later this year. If the full Congress passes a law to roll back the rules, customers will have to opt out if they don’t want ISPs to sell their data.
The ISPs had argued that it was unfair that they could not sell customer browsing history data when Google and Facebook don’t have to follow the same rules. Consumer watchdog groups said that the rules were important for protecting personal privacy.
