Did you hear about the new internet privacy laws being passed in the US? And what does this mean for folks who host their website on American soil?
This week the House passed a bill that will undermine the Consumer Privacy laws established by the FCC late last year which requires Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Comcast and AT&T to ask permission before collecting and selling customer information to third-parties.
With this new bill – which is expected to be signed by Trump – ISPs will no longer have to wait for permission from its users to use and sell your information to the highest bidder.
Information like your geographic location, your web browsing history, your health and financial data – all things marketers would be extremely interested in knowing about you – will be up for grabs.
What does this mean for you if you have a health condition and are applying for a job, or you want to buy a house but your financial health isn’t exactly sterling?
These things pose a very serious risk to everyday internet users. As more and more of our lives are connected to the internet, the risk of losing our basic privacy poses some very real consequences.
Perhaps even scarier is if this bill is signed into law, it would mean that the FCC, the Federal body that put these laws in place to protect internet users, would be unable to create similar laws in the future due to the Congressional Review Act, an act that allows recently enacted regulations to be overturned by a simple majority vote.
Hosting your Website in Canada
As Privacy Laws in America are being turned on their head, more organizations and individuals are considering hosting their information on Canadian-owned web servers.
In Canada, private-sector commercial businesses, including the companies that host your information are subject to PIPEDA, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
PIPEDA, which builds upon international data protection laws from the European Union, requires that Canadian-owned organizations get consent from its customers before they can collect, use, and disclose information to third-parties.
This protection even extends to US nationals and corporations with data hosted in Canada.
Ready to make the switch? Talk to us and host your website on our ultra-fast and secure Canadian-owned web servers.
If you reside in the United States and disagree with this bill, make your voice heard and sign the online petition at Fight for the Future.
