After months of grassroots organizing, Demand Progress praises today's vote, points to the need for greater safeguards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2016
Press contact: Mark Stanley, press@demandprogress.org, 202.681.7582
Washington, DC — Demand Progress welcomes today’s vote by the FCC requiring ISP’s to obtain permission before sharing consumers’ personal data with third parties.
The following can be attributed to Demand Progress Executive Director David Segal:
“Today, Chairman Wheeler and Commissioners Clyburn and Rosenworcel should be commended for asserting the FCC's jurisdiction over how internet providers protect their users' privacy.
“Time and again, we have seen the country’s largest ISP’s, including AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, violate the public’s privacy — severely eroding trust and chilling free expression online in service of corporate profits. Today’s vote is a step forward, but much more must be done. AT&T in particular is a notorious violator of privacy rights, and these consumer abuses are but one of many reasons why we look forward to fighting the company's attempted takeover of Time Warner.”
In recent months, Demand Progress members have generated 40,000 comments and petition signatures in support of ISP privacy rules. They also directed more than two thousand tweets to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel urging her to support the rules.
Demand Progress and Fight for the Future recently resurrected and revamped the BattlefortheNet.com website, which was the main clearinghouse for pro-net neutrality activism, to underscore the importance of the FCC privacy proceeding.
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