U.S. Repeal Of Privacy Rules Causes Concern For U.S. Internet Users – What Do The Changes Mean For Canadians?

On April 3, 2017, President Donald Trump signed into law the bill repealing Internet privacy protections that were approved by the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") shortly before Donald Trump won the election. Now internet service providers ("ISPs") may track and sell the browsing habits of their customers without their knowledge or consent. This bill also prevents the FCC from enacting similar rules in the future.

The FCC rules, which were not yet in effect, would require ISPs to get consent from a consumer before disclosing his or her data to advertisers or other third parties. The repeal of these rules was backed by major U.S. telecoms who argued that ISPs were subject to stricter privacy laws than other data-collecting companies like Google or Facebook, which are overseen by the Federal Trade Commission and its less stringent privacy guidelines. These internet companies had a competitive advantage since they were able to collect personal information to