This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The freedom of the American people has suffered a terrible blow as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as Comcast can now sell your browsing history without your knowledge or consent.

On April 4, President Trump signed into law S.J.Res.34: "A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval … of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) relating to "Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services."

Even the title, if read carefully, reveals who the majority of Congress and our president favor: big businesses.

For years, the FCC has protected consumer rights by making it illegal for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as Comcast and AT&T to sell the browsing data of its users. This law makes it perfectly legal to sell the data of the user base.

A common argument against internet privacy is that "If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear," but this argument directly opposes American ideals of freedom. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, "Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."

For instance, picture someone in a highly conservative family, who has become active in online forums dedicated to members of the LGBT community who are scared to reveal their identity to their family. With this new law, ISPs could target ads such as hormone treatments to this individual's computer, and their parents might begin to ask questions. This person is not doing anything illegal, but with one's search history up for sale and used for advertising, their life might be changed forever.

If you believe this situation purely hypothetical, similar situations have already occurred. Target analyzed customer shopping patterns and determined that a Minneapolis teen was pregnant. They then sent maternity coupons which were intercepted by the unknowing father.

Along with this bill, the current FCC has abandoned rules stating that ISPs need to take "reasonable measures" in protecting secure customer data, such as bank accounts and even Social Security numbers.

These measures, when in place, caused AT&T to be fined $25 million for allowing employers to steal this same data in 2015.

The worst facet of this issue is the representatives who voted for the bill. It was split cleanly along party lines, passing 50-48 in the Senate and 215-205 in the House. Not a single Democrat voted for the bill to pass. In addition, hundreds of thousands of dollars were paid by the lobbies of ISPs to the Republican supporters of the bill.

The real question boils down to what can ordinary people do to fight this law. First, a growing movement exists to buy out the members of congress's browsing data. A second option that is a bit more technical but simple enough to set up is a Virtual Private Network, or VPN. A VPN encrypts any data you look at so that an ISP cannot properly identify what you do. To set one up, simply look up "VPN tutorial."

In all, S.J.Res.34 is merely the first step in an administration bent towards the will of big businesses, and the American public must keep a wary eye on future policies.

Michael Palmer is a student at Rowland Hall.