Trump signs resolution permitting ISPs to share your web history without consent

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Donald Trump has forged ahead and done what privacy advocates hoped would not happen. The US president has signed a resolution rolling back FCC privacy rules, meaning that ISPs are now free to share and sell customers' browsing histories without express permission.

The signing of the bill into law comes after the Senate and then the House voted to allow ISPs to share customer data without consent. The White House has confirmed that Trump has reversed the Obama-era rules, so closely targeted advertising is now not far away.

Since the House vote last week, there has been renewed interest in online privacy and US web users have been searching for ways to keep their browsing habits away from prying eyes. Three major ISPs -- Verizon, AT&T and Comcast -- have spoken out to indicate that they have no intention of selling customer information.

But while privacy groups are unhappy with how things have played out, the resolution has been welcomed by the telecoms industry. There had been complaints that the FCC's rules applied to ISPs but not websites such as Facebook and Google. Some, such as White House spokesman Sean Spicer, say that the change means there is now an "equal playing field," but it remains to be seen what the ultimate impact will be on customers.

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