Personal privacy is something that is coveted in the 21st century. We feel that with so much of our lives being monitored that our own privacy is very limited.
The laws on privacy have been limited over the last few years and people were looking for new ways to monitor these privacy concerns. Who wants to have to worry about their privacy and what aspects of their lives are being shown to others? A victory has been won as the Federal Communications Commission passed a new rule that will make you life just a little bit more private.
As of October 27th broadband providers will have new rules so that your browsing history and internet usage will be kept more private in the time of internet cookies. Even if you've heard of the new requirements, here are the important aspect you should know as a consumer.
1. Internet providers must receive consumer consent
In a 3 to 2 decision, it was ruled that the FCC will now require internet providers to receive explicit consent from the consumer before giving the information to third parties. Information has been passed on from company to company and now this rule will end that practice without informing the user. This type of information that will fall under this category of informations not allowed to be given out includes very personal materials like emails or financial information,
2. Opt-In
The idea of opting in has become a huge in the age of the internet. You opt in to emails or opt in to push notifications from an app. This new rule will give the FCC an option of using an opt-in for the future. We could be opting in to give information to third parties. It's important to realize that if this does become the case that opt-in or out will not cover your IP address and device identifier. Those are not covered if you decide to opt-in when the option comes available in the future.
3. Providers have to alert consumers
These new FCC rules will change the game. It will go from providers passing on your information without knowledge to now forcing providers to tell consumers what exactly they are collecting and why that information is being taken. In the occurrence of a data breach, your provider will have to notify you as part of this new rule.
Important to know...
Yes, it will now require permission to be asked to give you information to third parties, but this new rule does not require your provider to ask permission to use the data themselves. This rule only applies while passing it on to other people.
Will these new rules reevaluate our internet as we know it? These new rules are going to redefine the boundaries between the consumer and the provider. It may be the first step in a direction to evolve the way target ads or use of cookies are handled. Our internet will stay the same, but the options for the future are now open. The FCC's decision to create this rule will change the protection of people while using the internet.
