Image for This sobering Twitter stream explains how the gutting of #BroadbandPrivacy in the U.S. will impact LGBTQ people
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This sobering Twitter stream explains how the gutting of #BroadbandPrivacy in the U.S. will impact LGBTQ people

As the FCC’s pro-privacy rules are overturned by Congress, Evan Greer, Campaign Director at Fight For the Future, highlights how this move will disproportionately affect LGBTQ people.

They did it – the House and Senate voted to overturn pro-privacy Internet rules that the FCC established back in October 2016. The legislation is now just waiting to be signed off by President Trump, who’s been recommended to approve it by his advisors.

The FCC’s rules would have required ISPs to obtain your opt-in consent in order to share your browsing data with advertisers and third parties. But now that the rules look set to be overturned, your browsing history and other private information is fair game to be sold by your Internet provider to the highest bidder. What’s even more concerning is that Congress has even forbidden the FCC from being able to issue a similar regulation in future.

This is not only a worrying setback for the privacy of every U.S. Internet user. Violations of digital privacy also represent a heightened risk for communities who are already subject to an uphill battle in the fight for their rights.

Evan Greer, the tireless Campaigns Director over at Fight For the Future, explained in a series of poignant tweets what this setback means for LGBTQ people –a community that, as she mentions, will be disproportionately impacted by this legislation.

Evan composed her sobering Twitter thread just before the House vote, and we want to reshare it here in full to give it an even larger audience — check out what she has to say, and don’t forget to RT to spread the word.

What can we do about it?

Last chance: Tell President Trump to Protect Internet Privacy

Our friends at Fight for the Future are keeping up this fight until the end and have an urgent petition asking President Trump to stop this bill from becoming law. Make sure to add your support right now at: savebroadbandprivacy.org

You can also protect yourself and limit your data from being collected by…

Last but not least, don’t forget to tell your friends how this decision is going to impact them and how they can limit their online exposure. So please spread the word and ask them to sign the Fight for the Future petition and share it widely on Facebook and Twitter.


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