Why one Republican voted to kill privacy rules: “Nobody has to use the Internet”

A Republican lawmaker who voted to eliminate Internet privacy rules said, "Nobody's got to use the Internet" when asked why ISPs should be able to use and share their customers' Web browsing history for advertising purposes. Further Reading How ISPs can sell your Web history—and how to stop them

US Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) was hosting a town hall meeting when a constituent asked about the decision to eliminate privacy rules. The person in the audience was disputing the Republican argument that ISPs shouldn't face stricter requirements than websites such as Facebook.

"Facebook is not comparable to an ISP. I do not have to go on Facebook," the town hall meeting attendee said. But when it comes to Internet service providers, the person said, "I have one choice. I don't have to go on Google. My ISP provider is different than those providers."

That's when Sensenbrenner said, "Nobody's got to use the Internet." He praised ISPs for "invest[ing] an awful lot of money in having almost universal service now." He then said, "I don't think it's my job to tell you that you cannot get advertising for your information being sold. My job, I think, is to tell you that you have the opportunity to do it, and then you take it upon yourself to make the choice."

People "ought to have more choices rather than fewer choices with the government controlling our everyday lives," he concluded, before moving on to the next question.

"He said that nobody has to use the Internet. They have a choice," Sensenbrenner's press office explained on Twitter.

Video was posted on Twitter yesterday by American Bridge 21st Century, a political action committee that says it is "committed to holding Republicans accountable for their words and actions."

.@JimPressOffice tells his constituents not to use the internet if they don't like his vote to sell out their privacy to advertisers. #wi05 pic.twitter.com/lSVVx8OclO — Brad Bainum (@bradbainum) April 13, 2017

Rules would have given customers a choice

Sensenbrenner did not address the fact that the privacy rules would have let customers make a choice about whether their data is tracked and used. The rules would have required ISPs to get customers' opt-in consent before using, sharing, or selling their Web browsing history and app usage history. Because Congress eliminated the rules before they could go into effect, ISPs can continue to use customers' browsing and app usage history without offering anything more than a chance to opt out. Without such rules, customers may not even be aware that they have a choice.

The rules were issued last year by the Federal Communications Commission and eliminated this month when President Donald Trump signed a repeal that was approved along party lines in Congress. There are no privacy rules that apply to ISPs now, but ISPs say they will let customers opt out of systems that use browsing history to deliver targeted ads.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who introduced the resolution to eliminate privacy rules, was also confronted about the privacy rules at a town hall on Thursday. Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) recently said he'd be willing to release his own browsing history in response to a question on a radio show. A recent survey found that 72 percent of Republicans and 72 percent of Democrats opposed the rollback of privacy rules.