Trump signs bill repealing internet privacy rules

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Pool/Getty Images)

President Trump on Monday signed a bill repealing regulations adopted last October by the Federal Communications Commission that required internet service providers to obtain consent from customers before using sensitive information, including their browsing history and details on their finances and health, to create targeted advertisements.

The bill barely passed in Congress last week, with Republicans siding with internet service providers who said the regulations were unfair. The American Civil Liberties Union has said privacy should be more important than profits, and "most Americans believe that their sensitive internet information should be closely guarded." On Friday, Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast said they would voluntarily not sell their customers' individual web browsing information, Reuters reports.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.