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You think the IPA is bad - it could be worse, you could be in the USA! #
For two western countries that are relatively similar in many ways, it appears the UK and the USA could not have more opposing views when it comes to the protection of data and privacy. Whilst the UK Government continues to fend off ongoing legal challenges and criticism of its controversial IPA (Investigatory Powers Act) or Snoopers’ Charter as it’s widely nicknamed, the USA is about to make it perfectly legal for ISPs to sell off their customers’ personal information and web activity history to the highest bidders for commercial use.
3 April 2017
[caption id="attachment_135" align="alignleft" width="128"]
Paul Heritage-Redpath, Product Manager[/caption]
For two western countries that are relatively similar in many ways, it appears the UK and the USA could not have more opposing views when it comes to the protection of data and privacy. Whilst the UK Government continues to fend off ongoing legal challenges and criticism of its controversial IPA (Investigatory Powers Act) or Snoopers’ Charter as it’s widely nicknamed, the USA is about to make it perfectly legal for ISPs to sell off their customers’ personal information and web activity history to the highest bidders for commercial use.
As you know from our previous articles on the subject, the IPA requires UK ISPs to retain vast amounts of customer data including your online activity and enables the security agencies and police to access this data as and when they require, regardless of whether or not you are suspected of a crime. The latest challenge to this Act has come from the European Court of Justice who argued the new law contravenes existing European laws on privacy and data retention. See our article “How can the Investigatory Powers Act ever co-exist with the EU?” for more information.
However, across the pond the USA are about to legalise the sale of personal data including customers’ web activity history by ISPs for commercial use, let alone national security and crime fighting. And we think we’ve got it bad!
The plans were voted in this week and are said to be supported by the president which means they will shortly become law. Once this happens US ISPs will be able to sell off basically everything they know about their customers to third parties without the customer’s permission. This is obviously valuable information from a commercial point of view - for the right price a company could find out which websites you visit and how regularly, your hobbies, your family dynamic, your recent online purchasing history and so much more.
Paul Heritage-Redpath, Product Manager[/caption]
For two western countries that are relatively similar in many ways, it appears the UK and the USA could not have more opposing views when it comes to the protection of data and privacy. Whilst the UK Government continues to fend off ongoing legal challenges and criticism of its controversial IPA (Investigatory Powers Act) or Snoopers’ Charter as it’s widely nicknamed, the USA is about to make it perfectly legal for ISPs to sell off their customers’ personal information and web activity history to the highest bidders for commercial use.
As you know from our previous articles on the subject, the IPA requires UK ISPs to retain vast amounts of customer data including your online activity and enables the security agencies and police to access this data as and when they require, regardless of whether or not you are suspected of a crime. The latest challenge to this Act has come from the European Court of Justice who argued the new law contravenes existing European laws on privacy and data retention. See our article “How can the Investigatory Powers Act ever co-exist with the EU?” for more information.
However, across the pond the USA are about to legalise the sale of personal data including customers’ web activity history by ISPs for commercial use, let alone national security and crime fighting. And we think we’ve got it bad!
The plans were voted in this week and are said to be supported by the president which means they will shortly become law. Once this happens US ISPs will be able to sell off basically everything they know about their customers to third parties without the customer’s permission. This is obviously valuable information from a commercial point of view - for the right price a company could find out which websites you visit and how regularly, your hobbies, your family dynamic, your recent online purchasing history and so much more.
- The Register: Your internet history on sale to highest bidder: US Congress votes to shred ISP privacy rules
- Entanet Opinion: Looks like the IPA and EU can’t co-exist after all!
- Entanet Opinion: How can the Investigatory Powers Act ever co-exist with the EU?
- Entanet Opinion: Goodbye Investigatory Powers Bill, Hello Investigatory Powers ACT
- Entanet Opinion: The IPB takes a step closer to being law
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