Congress Says Trump’s Tax Returns Are Private But Your

New Post Public Reply Private Reply Replies (0) Message Board

Mar 29, 2017 at 11:06 AM 225

Quote:

Congress Says Trump’s Tax Returns Are Private But Your Internet Searches Aren’t

By Hrafnkell Haraldsson on Wed, Mar 29th, 2017 at 7:59 am

As Stephen King put it, "Thanks to Republicans, those advocates of rugged individualism, Big Brother can now access your browsing history."

The House of Representatives yesterday followed the Senate’s lead and voted against protecting your Internet privacy. These are the same folks, by the way, who voted to protect Donald Trump’s privacy, and when much more is at stake.

The vote tally was 215 to 205, and 15 Republicans actually joined 190 Democrats in voting against it. But it passed. And Donald Trump will likely sign it into law. The Senate passed the bill last week.

Stephen King tweeted

Stephen King
✔ ‎@StephenKing

Thanks to Republicans, those advocates of rugged individualism, Big Brother can now access your browsing history.

Industry groups are happy of course because Republicans are always big business and anti- actual people. As Quincy Larson writes at FreeCodeCamp,

“You might be wondering: who benefits from repealing these rules? Other than those four monopoly ISPs that control America’s “last mile” of internet cables and cell towers?

“No one. No one else benefits in any way. Our privacy (and our nation’s security) have been diminished so a few mega-corporations can make a little extra cash.”

In case you don’t think this is a big deal, as The New York Post points out, “Sensitive private information” includes app downloads, browsing histories and even financial and medical data.”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation will happily enlighten you as to the “Five Creepy Things Your ISP Could Do” with these protections repealed.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/five-cr...rotections

King wasn’t alone. The Young Turks co-host John Iadarola pointed to the absurdity of the legislation:

John Iadarola
✔ ‎@johniadarola

Trump voters spoke loud and clear last November: "We DEMAND you profit off our browsing

So we have a House that won’t investigate Trump, has no interest at all in data that shows collusion between the Trump’s team and Russia to aid Trump getting elected, but it will let ISPs sell your browsing history.

And it’s worse. Electronic Frontier Foundation says one of the five creepy things they can do is hijack your search engine searches.

Yes. They can do that. They have done it:

When you entered a search term in your browser’s search box or URL bar, your ISP directed that query to Paxfire instead of to an actual search engine. Paxfire then checked what you were searching for to see if it matched a list of companies that had paid them for more traffic. If your query matched one of these brands (e.g. you had typed in “apple”, “dell”, or “wsj”, to name a few) then Paxfire would send you directly to that company’s website instead of sending you to a search engine and showing you all the search results (which is what you’d normally expect). The company would then presumably give Paxfire some money, and Paxfire would presumably give your ISP some money.

In other words, ISPs were hijacking their customers’ search queries and redirecting them to a place customers hadn’t asked for, all while pocketing a little cash on the side. Oh, and the ISPs in question hadn’t bothered to tell their customers they’d be sending their search traffic to a third party that might record some of it.

Nothing at all creepy about that, right? If you don’t feel violated, you should. Think this would have gotten past the Founding Fathers? Not likely.

King is spot on in attacking the absurd Republican claim to be all about rugged individualism and individual freedom. Think about it: in colonial days, long before the Internet, what the Republicans in Congress just did was permit businesses to ransack your home to search for your interests in reading materials and through all your medicine to see what you take and for what. If you happen to have a well-worn copy of “Sexy Colonial Gals” they’ll mark that down too.

This is the so-called party of individual freedom refusing to let the government do its job and work for the people who are, after all, the basis of political power in a democracy, not the big corporations the GOP is now allowing to rifle through your drawers and medicine cabinet

Think about it Red Staters. As Newsweek‘s Kurt Eichenwald points out, “MAGA: ISP’s will have right to sell your browsing history to marketers. Red state porn watchers, this means u.”

Newer

Older

Scroll down for more posts ▼

Top 10 Most Recent News Articles

Florida Cancer Institute Expands: New Oncologist Joins Team

News in the medical world isn't just rattling desks today; it's a purposeful signal for cancer care's transformation. Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) has beefed up its team, embracing Carlos Barbur, DO, an oncologist who's not just skilled but steeped in disciplines crucial for the health of many. Think of this as another puzzle piece fitting snugly...

ENGWE Unleashes Massive Black Friday E-Bike Discounts

ENGWE Powers Up the 2026 Black Friday Storm If you’ve ever been on the hunt for a reliable e-bike, ENGWE is making a racket that’ll be impossible to ignore this Black Friday. Starting November 2nd and running up to December 3rd, they’re throwing down the gauntlet with some jaw-dropping deals across their line-up. Now, why should you care? For starters, they’ve...

ElektraFi Challenges Starlink: Fixed Wireless Gains Edge

Revolution or Just Better Options? In the wild west of internet connectivity, where every home is a frontier, ElektraFi is throwing down the gauntlet at the feet of behemoths like Starlink. They're talking big about their fixed wireless network, and in places stretching from Colorado's ski slopes to the dustier reaches of Texas, that talk might just hold some weight. Why...

Celebree's Gratitude Push: Kindness Turns into Action

Expressing Gratitude: More than Just Words Gratitude: it's one of those feel-good concepts that everyone nods to, but let's face it—most folks don't really go beyond the occasional 'thanks.' That's where the Generation Gratitude Project by Celebree School steps in. The idea's not just about saying thanks, but about making it a real, action-oriented habit. This campaign,...

Fresenius, WuXi Biologics Blaze New Biosimilars Trail

Fresenius Bets Big on Biopharma with WuXi Partnership A deal inked by Fresenius and WuXi Biologics is stirring up the biosimilars pot, aiming to widen Fresenius' grip on the market tenfold. We're not talking small potatoes here; we're talking up to 66 biosimilar molecules against a hefty backdrop of more than €370 billion in originator sales. It's as if they've said,...

Leadership Shifts in AAOMS: Dr. Crago at Helm

New Guard at AAOMS: Dr. Crago Takes Charge With a blend of experience and a fresh theme, Dr. Charles A. Crago steps into the presidential shoes of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) for the 2026-27 term. Frankly, navigating leadership isn't new to Crago. I mean, after serving a lifetime in varied roles—President-Elect, Vice President,...

Enterprise Networking Set for Big Growth by 2032

Enterprise Networking's Growth Trajectory When the digits start rolling in at a compound annual growth rate of a neat 10.1%, you know there's a story worth watching. This tale of enterprise networking gaining traction is a head-turner, anticipated to soar from $134.59 billion in 2026 to a hefty $239.92 billion by 2032. Hold onto your hats—there's a storm of change...

Composites One Unveils Game-Changing eCommerce Platform

A New Era for Composites One? You know how companies often blast updates nobody asked for? Well, Composites One finally flipped the script. They've rolled out a completely revamped eCommerce platform across North America, and here's the kicker—it's actually built from the ground up on customer feedback. Yeah, they took the time to ask manufacturers what they needed for...

New Leadership Fuels Expansion of Black Optix Tint

Shifting Gears with New Leadership Black Optix Tint isn't just revamping its car-styling game; it's refueling the entire brand with the appointment of Jeff Stark as its new brand president. This guy's entry into the picture is like putting nitro in the tank of a franchise that's already got some serious road miles behind it. With over 15 years under his belt in the...

UFC Gym Expands, Opening Murfreesboro Location Soon

UFC GYM Targets the Heart of Murfreesboro They're doing it again—UFC GYM's tossing another gym into the mix, folks! This time, it's Murfreesboro, Tennessee, catching the brand's punchy, high-energy splash. Don't mistake this for just another big-box, bench-press-jamboree. Their doors swing open come November 14, and this ain't some punk move. We're talking a whopping...