Last week, the U.S. Senate voted to roll back an Obama-era provision that prevented internet service providers from selling their customer’s browsing history without asking for permission. That bill is on its way to the House for the next round of voting.
Companies like Comcast and Verizon stand to potentially make big money if they offer their users’ browsing history up to the highest bidders.
What about a local, smaller ISPs? What about the Wilmington-based WhyFly?
WhyFly VP of Operations Kevin Kriss told us the bill would be “good for WhyFly.” Why? They’d be an ISP that wouldn’t sell their customers’ data.
“Right now with only one or two options,” Kriss told us, “customers can’t choose to go with an ISP that does not sell their data.” They’re stuck, essentially, with a provider that’s willing to take their info to market. “Consumers can choose with their dollar and simply support the ISP,” Kriss explained, “based on their issues.”
It reminds us of other upstart options to tech giants, like Philly-based DuckDuckGo, a search engine that does not track its users. DuckDuckGo exploded in popularity after news broke that the National Security Agency had tapped tech companies for information about its users.
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