A few months ago, the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC")
released a Staff Report that confirmed our worst fears about
internet service providers ("ISPs"): namely, that they
are collecting vast amounts of data from their customers, which
they are sharing with unknown third parties. The report is the
culmination of two years of voluntary reporting (at the
agency's request) by the six largest mobile ISPs, comprising
98.8% of the mobile internet market, and three affiliated online
advertising firms. According to the report, ISPs track individuals
and their use of online services across multiple devices, websites,
and geographic locations, and their data collection includes web
searches, mobile app usage, and the content of unencrypted text
messages and emails, among other data points.
