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 is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.