Laura Chapman writes about breaking news:

“Pending a signature by Trump, Republicans have succeeded in making internet privacy a relic of the past. Last week the Senate passed a bill that will give internet service providers (ISPs) the automatic right to make a profit from every bit of data that you and your family, including children, place on your computer through an internet service provider such as Verizon, Comcast, AT&T Inc., or Charter Communications Inc.

“At around 3 pm today, (March, 28, 2017) House Representatives voted to kill legislation intended to enhance internet privacy.

“Moreover, the just-passed legislation makes it a “forever after” impossibility for the restoration of the Obama legislation or anything similar to it. Even if there is a massive breech of ISPs data (e.g., your SS number, credit card information, banking accounts and transactions, health records, your child’s school records and internet activity) the ISP is no longer obliged to notify you.

“House Republicans argued that breeches of privacy can be managed on a “case-by-case-basis.” In other words, the user of the ISP service hires a lawyer and hopes to get satisfaction through a court action. The House Republican argument also featured claims about regulatory overreach stifling innovation and boosting the economy. http://thehill.com/policy/technology/326145-house-votes-to-send-bill-undoing-obama-internet-privacy-rule-to-trumps-desk

“If you are a techie, you might think there is a work-around. This article casts some doubt on that. https://www.wired.com/2017/03/vpns-wont-save-congress-internet-privacy-giveaway/

“It is not clear to me how this bill intersects with The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)–the Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law is supposed to apply to all schools that receive funds under “an applicable program” of the US Department of Education. Since the USDE is being “deconstructed” and the edtech industry and its supporters want internet-based everything, I imagine that lobby will be thrilled with this legislation.

“Further, it is not yet clear how this bill intersects with the privacy and security standards for medical information provided in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), administered by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), now under the leadership of longstanding Republican Thomas E. Price, M.D.

“I listened to the House Republicans and Democrats go back and forth about the bill. None mentioned the ripple effects across other federal agencies.

“Some internet gurus think that the bill also has major implications for national security, making theft and marketing of ISP data lucrative.

“The purpose of this bill was to enable ISPs to seek profits from their data. ISPs operate as monopolies in many regions. They gather your clicks, record your dwell times and all other data that gets you access to the other “retail” tier of the internet—Google, Bing, and specific websites, The ISP lobby wanted the gravy train of profits enjoyed by the “retailers.”