Opinion: Don’t allow this invasion of privacy

Nearly lost in all the drama last week over whether or not the U.S. House would approve a bill repealing the Affordable Care Act was a vote in the Senate that also impacts most Americans. Winning passage 50-48, with most Republicans in favor and most Democrats opposed, the measure strips a major layer of privacy from consumers who use the Internet.

Like we said, most Americans.

If it passes the House and is signed into law by President Trump, which is highly probable, the measure rolls back a less than year-old Obama administration Federal Communications Commission rule that prevented internet providers, such at AT&T, Time Warner and our own locally-based Comporium, from sharing customers’ browser and app use history without their permission. That information is often sold to third parties who use it to target ads at individual users and for other purposes.

We’re not fundamentally against the practice of the internet providers collecting and sharing that data. Often, it can result in a value-added online experience. If you’re going to get pop-ads anyway, why not get ones that are more likely to align with your interests? However, doing it without a customer’s knowledge and consent is a blatant personal intrusion and should be forbidden.

It is curious, to say the least, that conservatives, especially those who consider themselves libertarians, could support this. After all, they seem to be the ones who often preach most loudly about “liberty” and rights of privacy. Or, is privacy in their minds limited to concealed handguns? Maybe the so-called Freedom Caucus wing of the House GOP will live up to the name and stand up to this proposed invasion of privacy and exploitation of consumers.

We would ask you to contact your congressman and demand a no vote when this comes up in the House, but we here in the 5th District do not currently have one. Former incumbent rep. Mick Mulvaney resigned his seat to become Trump’s budget director. Instead, we suggest trying the next nearest Congressman, Joe Wilson (R-Dist. 2), based in the Midlands. Call him at 803-939-0041 or 888-381-1442 or write to him at 1700 Sunset Blvd (US 378), Suite 1, West Columbia , SC 29169.

If you oppose this measure, it also wouldn’t hurt to call the White House at 202-456-1414 or 202-456-6213 or fill out an online form at whitehouse.gov/contact. Although, everyone knows the best way to reach the president is on Twitter. His handle is @realDonaldTrump.

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Opinion: Don’t allow this invasion of privacy."