Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Friday March 31 2017, @04:14PM   Printer-friendly
from the a-different-way-to-buy-congress dept.

We had two story submissions on reactions to the US Congress deciding that one's ISP browsing history need not be private.

Protesters raise more than $200,000 to buy Congress’s browsing histories

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

After Congress voted Tuesday to dismantle landmark privacy protections for Internet users, pockets of the Web erupted in a mixture of fury and fear.

Among other changes, this legislation would make it easier, and legal, for Internet service providers (ISPs) to both gather and sell personal information including Web browsing history. In other words, AT&T could, in theory, sell to the highest bidder a list of the websites you've visited and the frequency with which you visited them.

Many Internet users aren't keen on the idea of companies selling their browsing data, so several independently came up with the same plan: They began crowdfunding campaigns to purchase the Web histories of the members who voted to wipe away those protections.

A few of these campaigns — there are at least four — are fairly small. Two, though, have raised more than a combined $200,000 as of early Thursday morning.

Misha Collins, the star of television's "Supernatural," started one such fundraiser that has raised more than $60,000 of its ambitious $500,000,000 goal.

"Great news! The House just voted to pass SJR34. We will finally be able to buy the browser history of all the Congresspeople who voted to sell our data and privacy without our consent!" he wrote in its description.

[...] Thanks, Congress, for voting to put all of our private data up for sale! We can't wait to buy yours.

— Misha Collins (@mishacollins) March 28, 2017

Purchase Private Internet Histories

Adam McElhaney, a self-described privacy activist says:

Thanks to the Senate for passing S.J.Res 34, now your Internet history can be bought.

I plan on purchasing the Internet histories of all legislators, congressmen, executives, and their families and make them easily searchable at searchinternethistory.com.

Help me raise money to buy the histories of those who took away your right to privacy for just thousands of dollars from telephone and ISPs. Your private data will be bought and sold to marketing companies, law enforcement.

Let's turn the tables. Let's buy THEIR history and make it available.

[Ed Note: The Verge has a good article on why although this is well intentioned, it's not going to work.]


Original Submission #1Original Submission #2

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Friday March 31 2017, @05:16PM (1 child)

    by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Friday March 31 2017, @05:16PM (#487179)

    It is a sure bet that, should this GoFundMe campaign actually succeed and make a deal to buy the browser histories, that Congress will add some amendment/rider onto what ever legislation they are currently discussing to block the purchase. It will probably be under the guise of "National Security" or some other BS.

    While I support the effort the only thing that Congress will learn from this will be to add a "Doesn't apply to us or our buddies" clause into future legislation of this type.

    --
    "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 31 2017, @06:26PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 31 2017, @06:26PM (#487221)

    Won't work.
    Remember the data is "anonymized."
    So, in order to protect the data of specific individuals, the companies that collect it are going to have to identify it.
    And once they've done that, it becomes an ideal target for someone to leak it.
    It isn't like these ad companies give a damn about infosec anyway, whatever controls they put in place to protect the identified data will be shit.