The FCC is always looking out for the consumer, or at least the majority of the time they are. Today, the FCC voted on a new set of privacy rules that they’ll be adopting. This new set of rules restricts what data your ISP can collect from you while you are browsing the web. The reason why this is a nightmare for advertisers, is because that information is used by advertisers to better target their ads to users. In a statement today, the Association of National Advertisers said that these new rules are “unprecedented, misguided and extremely harmful.” With these new rules, ISPs will have to “obtain affirmative ‘opt-in’ consent from consumers to use and share sensitive information.” It’s important to note here that this doesn’t mean that they can’t collect the information, they just can’t share it without the user opting in.
The sensitive information that ISPs are unable to share with advertisers, include precise geo-location, children’s information, health information, financial information, social security numbers, web browsing history, app usage history and the content of communication. Things that aren’t sensitive and can still be shared without your consent are things like your email address, IP address and bandwidth used.
In 2016, ISP’s aren’t just the likes of Comcast, Time Warner, and Cox, but also mobile carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon. Although AT&T and Verizon do also offer internet, and are a traditional ISP. But with these mobile carriers offering internet, they are also going to be under these new rules. Which is going to make it tougher for them to sell information to advertisers. This sensitive information that the FCC is now making mandatory for users to opt-in for it to be shared, is like a gold mine for advertisers. It helps them better target ads, which typically leads to better conversions. Which is what advertisers want, as it is the whole point of them advertising for companies, services and such. It is likely that consumers could opt into having this information shared, but it’s pretty unlikely. So it looks like advertisers will need to find another way to get information that can help them better target their ads.