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from the are-you-getting-what-you-voted-for-yet? dept.
The Inquirer reports
Donald Trump has signed the bill that will allow ISPs to share or sell customers' browsing history for advertising purposes.
Last week, the Republican House of Representatives passed a resolution which overturns a rule laid down by the FCC during the Obama administration that meant that users had to give their permission before such data was used by third-parties and any breach would be reported as a hack.
President Trump signed the bill on Monday [April 4], which means while many ISPs say they will not sell respect[sic] customers privacy and won't flag their browsing history and other personal data, they can now do so under the new rules. Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast will no longer be obligated to obtain consent before selling and sharing data, and they don't have to notify customers about what kind of data they collect.
[...] There's one winner of this privacy-destroying bill, though, and that's VPN providers.
NordVPN said it has already seen an 86 per cent spike in [inquiries].
Common Cause published, via Common Dreams, a comment from Statement of Michael Copps​, former FCC Commissioner & Common Cause Special Adviser:
Despite a campaign filled with rhetoric about the plight of forgotten Americans, Trump has once again come down on the side of corporate profiteering at the expense of Americans who don't sit on corporate boards and can't afford a $200,000 membership at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach. Trump has flip-flipped on his own campaign promises and handed over Americans' right to privacy to those with the deepest pockets.
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(Score: 3, Insightful) by FunkyLich on Friday April 07 2017, @07:28PM
It definitely is shifting the problem. But there is the option of choosing which entity has more conflicting interests with you.
While there is no reason at all to trust the vpn provider vs. the isp, the level of potential harm from misuse of your metadata is not the same.
It is similar to the level of your worry if someone saw you naked while showering. It would be different if the watcher was your neighbour next door where you live, vs. some random passer-by while you are in holidays in a hotel at the other side of the planet.