FTC study on the six largest ISPs finds that some fail to fully inform consumers on how their data is monetized, such as using browsing history to serve up ads
The importance of the internet in the daily lives of consumers cannot be overstated. Lily Hay Newman / Wired : Security News This Week: An International Operation Knocked a Notorious Ransomware Group Offline Thomas Claburn / The Register : It's ‘near-impossible to escape persistent surveillance’ by American ISPs, says FTC Alex Gatewood / KnowTechie : ISP's are secretly collecting a ton of your data, and the FTC just called them out on it Christina Tabacco / Law Street Media : FTC Report Finds ISPs Collect and Share Vast Amounts of Web Browsing Data Rob Pegoraro / PCMag : FTC: Here's How Much of a Snoop Your ISP or Wireless Carrier Can Be Tweets: @jaycuthrell : PREDICTION: Soon, people everywhere will be walking around with portable devices that are packed with radios which talk to other radios with known positions operated by companies that know exactly who those people are. https://twitter.com/... @timcushing : tag yourself: I'm “counterfeited pragmatics” https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/... Richard Blumenthal / @senblumenthal : Broadband firms monitoring our web browsing. Cell phone providers selling location data to advertisers. This new @FTC report is an urgent call for strict rules & strong enforcement to protect against broadband companies' spying. https://twitter.com/... @motherboard : ISPs have access to the entirety of the data that flows across the internet and your home network, more data than what's typically collected by large technology companies. https://www.vice.com/... Irenes / @ireneista : It's good that ISP misappropriation of user data is well-documented these days. That's an important step towards doing anything about it. We're not optimistic that the US Congress will care, but maybe legislatures elsewhere will. https://www.vice.com/... @vice : Broadband providers are every bit as terrible as you thought they were. https://www.vice.com/... @privacydigest : Internet Service Providers Collect, Sell Horrifying Amount of Sensitive Data, Government Study Concludes “Even though several of the ISPs promise not to sell consumers personal data, they allow it to be used, transferred, and monetized by others.” https://www.vice.com/... Karl Bode / @karlbode : For the last few years there has been a myopic press and pundit focus on the bad behavior of “big tech.” But I wrote about how a new FTC study found that “big telecom” is every bit as terrible when it comes to consumer privacy, if not worse: https://www.vice.com/... Mike Masnick / @mmasnick : That was my first pick too, but looking at the bigger list, I'm going with Aspirational Fusion. I have no idea what that means, but it sounds good. https://twitter.com/... John Bergmayer / @bergmayer : as an industry, you don't want to see a section titled “Illusory Choices” or “Accountability” in a report on your privacy practices https://www.ftc.gov/... https://twitter.com/... Adam Levin / @adam_k_levin : “While several ISPs in our study tell consumers they will not sell their data, they fail to reveal to consumers the myriad of ways that their data can be used, transferred, or monetized outside of selling it...” https://www.cyberscoop.com/... Lina Khan / @linakhanftc : The data that internet service providers assemble can enable potentially unlawful discrimination, including digital redlining. While enforcers must be vigilant, there are serious questions around whether persistent tracking creates inherent risks. https://www.ftc.gov/... Rudolf van der Berg / @internetthought : US Telcos found to sell customer browsing, real-time location data and data on ethnicity, race, sexuality, religion, income, political affiliation. Have as much or more data than US big tech firms! https://www.ftc.gov/... Lina Khan / @linakhanftc : At our open meeting today, staff presented a study on the privacy practices of major internet service providers, detailing how these firms often surveil users, aggregate data across a staggering array of services, and deprive users of meaningful choice. https://www.ftc.gov/... @ethanbaron : FTC report on what your internet provider is doing with your personal information: ‘subscribers’ real-time location data .. was being accessed by car salesmen, property managers, bail bondsmen, bounty hunters, and others without reasonable protections' https://www.ftc.gov/... Ed Markey / @senmarkey : It's not just Big Tech gobbling up troves of sensitive information about us. The broadband behemoths are tracking our every move online too. It's unacceptable that if you're over the age of 12 in this country, you have ZERO privacy rights online. Congress must act. https://twitter.com/... Jeff Stone / @jeffstone500 : We spend a lot of time worrying about the way Big Tech betrays user privacy, but the FTC just dropped a 2-year investigation into how ISPs: + access raw internet traffic + use sensitive data for ads + obscure privacy practices more via @TonyaJoRiley —> https://www.cyberscoop.com/... Ry Crist / @rycrist : NEW: A report issued Thursday from the Federal Trade Commission claims that internet providers including AT&T, Charter Spectrum, Comcast Xfinity, Google Fiber, T-Mobile, and Verizon are collecting far more data than consumers realize. Details: https://www.cnet.com/... (via @CNET) Thanks: @tonyajoriley See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
The FTC’s findings close the loop on its 2019 demand for nonpublic ISP privacy information, which covered providers including AT&T and Verizon. They also arrive after privacy experts said telecom lobbying had stalled dozens of state bills aimed at restricting ISP sales of customer data.
The report matters because it turns a long-running policy dispute over ISP data handling into regulator-documented concerns about consumer disclosure and browsing-history-based advertising.
First-order effects
- The six largest ISPs face a public FTC finding that some consumers are not being fully told how their data is monetized, including through browsing-history advertising.
- Customers of the covered providers have clearer evidence that the terms governing their internet service may not fully explain the providers’ data-use practices.
Second-order effects
- AT&T, Verizon, and other major ISPs face stronger pressure to make privacy disclosures more explicit, while state lawmakers have a fresh regulatory record for proposals that previously stalled.
- The finding sharpens the contrast between consumer-facing privacy notices and the value of ISP-held browsing data for advertising, making disclosure practices a competitive and policy liability rather than a back-office issue.
Third-order effects
- The report points toward privacy oversight organized around whether companies obtain meaningful permission for data use, not merely whether data collection occurs.
- If FTC scrutiny continues across internet platforms, ISP privacy practices may be treated as part of the same consumer-surveillance problem later documented across major online services.
The trend: US privacy enforcement is increasingly focused on the gap between companies’ data monetization practices and the disclosures consumers receive.