Grassley: Internet Users Need Clarity on How Personal Information is Protected
WASHINGTON – Senate
Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley released the following statement
regarding Congress’ action to repeal a flawed Obama-era regulation that would
have created confusion about how consumers’ online information is protected:
“I understand the importance of privacy protections for internet users, and I support a uniform set of rules for how companies handle consumers’ information. Unfortunately, this last-minute FCC regulation created a false sense of security for consumers because it established a double standard for how companies protect personal information. Without uniform protections, consumers might think they are protected when they actually are not. Consumers deserve clarity on how their personal information is protected.”
Congress’
action to repeal the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation does
not make consumers’ personal information more vulnerable. Rather, it ensures
that the long-established approach to protecting on online information applies
equally across the internet ecosystem.
Longstanding
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules regulate how personal information should
be protected, regardless of what company has access to it. The FCC’s proposal
would create a double standard, subjecting internet service providers to a
different set of rules. As a result, internet activity like browsing history,
would be treated differently than search or streaming history. The double
standard would cause confusion among consumers as to what is protected and what
isn’t.
Beyond
creating confusion for consumers, the regulation also raised serious
competition concerns as it created an unfair playing field for different
companies operating in the same space.
The FTC raised concern about the rule
last year, calling it “not optimal." The current FCC chairman and the
acting FTC chairman recently announced they’re committed to working together to
ensure that “all actors in the online space should be subject to the same
rules, enforced by the same agency.”
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