The internet privacy scenario has been changed in the US after president Trump signed the repeal of internet privacy rules. According to the new privacy rules in the US. ISPs can now legally log and sell their users’ information to maximize their profit. This is a total threat for internet users in the US. In this article, we have recommended the key methods by which you can protect data in US.
How to Protect Data in US After New Privacy Rules in the USA?
As the internet and technology are growing at the remarkable speed. The threats of cyber and so the government’s breach. Of the online privacy of the consumers in the name of combating these threats. Has also been exponentially increased. Be it metadata retention law or repeal in the Internet Consumer’s Right Policy. Everywhere the fundamental privacy right of the netizens is being compromised. Presently, online privacy is nowhere to be seen. In the state of so-called human right favourite US. Back in October, when the Obama Administration had rolled out Consumer Privacy Rights.
According to this legislation. The ISPs were held requisite to not sell the data of the consumer without the consumer’s consent. This bill was passed in a bid to address the widespread concerns. Of the users across the US that was about their online privacy being compromised. And sold out without their acknowledgement. This practice was to desist by the Obama Administration last year. But now, Trump regime did not seem to be on the same page. With the Obama Administration regarding consumer’s online privacy.
The following repeal of the Consumer’s Right Policy. Has nullified the effect of this legislation and left the poor consumers. With their privacy being slaughtered and sold by the cruel ISPs. Here are we to tell you the ways. By which you can protect data in US from the ISPs to sell it out. (also read The Ultimate Privacy Guide).
Original Consumer’s Right Policy:
The consumer’s privacy bill that was released by the Obama Administration. It had ceased the violation of the human rights. That had been practised by the ISPs before this bill. The consumer’s privacy bill strengthened the online privacy right of every consumer. And this FCC’s broadband privacy rule also desist the ISPs. From selling the online data or browsing the history of the consumer without their consent.
When introducing this Consumer Privacy Bill. The former president Obama shared the following words:
“Even though we live in a world in which we share personal information more freely than in the past. We must reject the conclusion that privacy is an outmoded value. It has been at the heart of our democracy from its inception. And we need it now more than ever.”
From then Until now, the repeal of this bill. That period was the golden era for the consumers. Who are concerned about their online privacy. When people were having a sigh of relief and waiting for this law to get into effect. But something beyond their expectations happened by Trump and company.
Repeal of the Consumer’s Right Policy:
Later in March, a revocation in the bill of Consumer Right Policy drawn up by the FCC, Federal Communication Commission and the Trump regime rolled back and nullified this under the Congressional Review Act. And fifteen of the Republicans voted against this roll back while the government passed this by 205 majority votes by the US House Representatives. According to this repeal, the Consumer’s Right Policy has been affectless and this repeal has also authorized the ISPs of the US to sell your browsing habits to make money. So, be ready to give away your browsing history to the third parties who you even do not know.
However, this news did not seem satisfactory to many of the consumers as well as the cybersecurity advocates, and despite many protests, the government seems affectless and continues to undermine the fundamental right of the user. This demands you to take you online privacy in your hand and know with us the ways by which you can protect data in US from the snoop and selling of ISP after the new privacy-killing rules introduced across the US.
How It Could Affect the Day To Day Consumer:
This could have an impact on you in a numerous way, be it government itself or ISP, would you like your online privacy to be shared with any of them? Moreover, it gets worse, when the ISPs are allowed and have legal authorities to sell your online data to anyone out there without the need of seeking your consent. Isn’t it unfair? Or Can this be taken lightly? Of course not, we are not the nation that can be mute in the name of cybercriminal removal or business nurture.
Be it any reason; the government should not have compromised the core right of every citizen that is to preserve his privacy. On the other hand, the huge amount of data that has been stored to pass it forward and sell it to make money can be easily hacked and then you will have to forget about the sense of privacy at all. So, cutting a long story short, the online privacy breach and the authority given to the ISPs to sell your data can bring some critical effects to you that are not as easily avoidable as the government think-tank thinks.
Why Do ISPs Sell the DATA?
Well, ISPs have no personal grudges with you because of which they store and sell your online data to others. The fact is that the ISPs do it to save their concerns and that is to make money. Yes, the Internet Providers like Verizon, Comcast, etc. monetize your browsing history and other on-demand details to the third party marketers for targeted ads. These marketers then fetch you the type of advertisement that relates to your browsing habits.
Not only ISPs, edge providers like Facebook and Google have also been doing the same since ages! This is why you see only those ads in your Facebook account that are closely relevant to your browsing habits. But, in an attempt to make money, these providers slaughter your online privacy. So, it is a high time to do something concrete in order to protect data in US from being sold.
Is there Anyway To Protect Data in US From the ISP’s Sale:
In a bid to protect data in US from ISPs’ selling and snooping, some tools come in handy to help you circumvent the effect of this new internet rule passed by the pro-business Trump government. Here are the details of those tools to let you protect data in US from selling and snooping.
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Go For Encrypted Sites:
The more you use different devices with the broadband connection, the more data you generate mainly browsing data. Your ISP keeps a close eye on all the device you connect to the network and continuously snoops what you are browsing for. But there many HTTPS websites which add https in the starting of their URL. These sites encrypt the browsing and do not allow the ISP to snoop through it. So always prefer using those websites which are encrypted and have https bandwagon.
As this awareness is spreading like wildfire, more and more sites are opting for https encryption to make the website safer and trustable for the consumers. But still, there are miles to go to cover all the websites. To resolve this scarce, there is a solution by Electronic Frontier Foundation to encrypt the websites without https, and that solution is HTTPS Everywhere.
It is available as an extension of many leading browsers like Google Chrome or Firefox that is free and works as an open source program. But there is a downside of it, HTTPS encrypts your internet traffic and hides from your ISPs, but the information that which site you are visiting can be obtained by the ISP which is enough to kill the purpose. However, there are more security tools to protect data in US from ISP securely.
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Switch To VPN:
Switching to VPN sounds the best when it comes to protect data in US from the ISP and stop them from snooping you round the clock. This security suite works by tunnelling your internet traffic with end-to-end encryption. The network of VPN is connected to a remote server, and this makes the VPN a lot safer than any other cybersecurity tool.
VPN makes your ISP unable to acquire the information of your browsing history because the tunnel through which your internet traffic is going cannot be intercepted by the ISP or not by any of the hacking out there, keeping an eye close to your online activities. So a VPN comes in handy for preventing from both ISP and hackers intervention. (also read Best VPN for the USA)
Also, a VPN also allows you to bypass the geo-blocking and access any website that has been regionally blocked in your country.
But beware of the cheap or free VPNs for they are often found in close ties with organizations like NSA or can also sell your data to the marketers for the same purpose as ISP does because they do not have any goodwill to maintain. On the other hand, there are some reliable and reputed yet affordable VPNs out there like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, that are enough to make you feel carefree from any privacy breach while browsing.
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Tor Browser:
Tor is a security software that is free and an open source program. It works on the technology of onion routing and works pretty much okay to provide you internet anonymity and a good way to get rid of ISP’s data mining. Tor passes your web traffic via various layers of encryptions to make sure the network cannot be snooped by anyone. But this multiple layering of encryption makes the connection throttle a lot and can annoy you in times of downloading, gaming and video streaming. ( also see Fastest VPN Services 2017 – Speed is a winner)
Conclusion- How to Protect Data in US After New Privacy Rules in the USA?
In order to wrap it all, I would like to end this guide with a morsel of advice that is not to take your internet security and privacy lightly. It is because it can stun you with some grave aftermaths and especially when your online privacy is on the deathbed and being murdered by the ISP, it is the high time to protect data in US from them by using security tools like VPN.
