Google, Facebook lobbyists try to stop new privacy legislation
Lobbyists for social media giants Google and Facebook have attempted to halt the progress of US legislation that would give consumers greater privacy protection. The BROWSER Act states that broadband providers and websites must gain users' opt-in consent before advertising is targeted to web browsing history and application usage history, or before they share that data with others. At present, the online advertising sector is based on self-regulation rather than opt-in consent. The bill has the potential to "upend the consumer experience online and stifle innovation," according to lobbying group The Internet Association. 
Lobbyists for Google, Facebook, and other websites are trying to stop the implementation of a proposed law in the US that would strengthen consumer privacy protections online.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) last week proposed a bill that would require broadband providers and websites to obtain users' opt-in consent before they use Web browsing history and application usage history for advertising and other purposes or before they share that information with other entities. The rule in Blackburn's "BROWSER Act" would be similar to one that was scheduled to be applied to ISPs later this year until Republicans in Congress and President Donald Trump took action to stop it from being implemented.

The online advertising industry uses self-regulatory mechanisms in which websites let visitors opt out of personalized advertising based on browsing history, and websites can be punished by the Federal Trade Commission if they break their privacy promises. Websites don't need to obtain opt-in consent before using browsing history to deliver targeted ads. ISPs face no opt-in or opt-out rules at the moment, but Blackburn's bill would apply the stricter opt-in standard to both websites and broadband providers.

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Naturally, lobbyists are trying to stop this from taking effect. The Internet Association yesterday issued a statement saying, "This bill has the potential to upend the consumer experience online and stifle innovation. Policymakers must recognize that websites and apps continue to be under strict FTC privacy enforcement and are not in an enforcement gap, unlike other stakeholders in the ecosystem.”

The Internet Association's founding members include Google and Facebook, which dominate the online advertising market. The association's members also include Amazon, Dropbox, eBay, Microsoft, Netflix, PayPal, Reddit, Spotify, Twitter, and about 30 other Web companies.

The lobby group said it will continue to track Blackburn's proposal.

While Blackburn's bill would make sure that Internet providers and websites face the same rules, it would also prevent states from imposing stricter privacy rules. If Congress takes no action, websites would continue to follow opt-out guidelines. Internet providers could also be put under FTC regulation later this year if the Federal Communications Commission follows through on plans to reclassify broadband providers.