
The Turds Who Voted to Sell Out Your Online Privacy Get Their Faces Plastered - hackerkid
http://gizmodo.com/the-turds-that-voted-to-sell-out-your-online-privacy-ge-1794899911
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Kurtz79
Off topic, but such a crass title makes me instantly disinterested in whatever
the article has to say, even if I'm likely to agree with its content.

Is this really the new normal for websites ?

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test1235
Agreed. Immaturity isn't something to strive for, or be proud of. It's
something I've seen far too much of in recent years of politics.

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andybak
I'm British and I think that swearing enriches language when used judiciously.

Also - expressing emotion and anger is valuable when the situation calls for
it. Personally I would have considered something stronger than 'turd' in this
case.

Oh. Here's Hitchens saying "Fuck" a lot:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO129-RfhVE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO129-RfhVE)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1fmWVECUI4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1fmWVECUI4)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB_dgqy6l4k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB_dgqy6l4k)

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user982
Hitchens was inexhaustibly eloquent and grandiloquent; his skill at using
expletives for emphasis in service to his message reflected his mastery of the
language.

Gawker (and all of its puerile clickbait spawn) is no Chris Hitchens.

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smhenderson
The title from the people who actually did the campaign is a little more
morning coffee friendly[1]. If you get as upset as I do every time you see a
story like this why not head over and donate today?

[1][https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2017-05-03-crowdfunde...](https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2017-05-03-crowdfunded-
billboards-appear-in-districts-of/)

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pedalpete
There are two sides to the 'value' equation here. The telecoms can now sell
your data, but that also means that somebody needs to be buying it on the
other end.

This campaign does a great job of calling out Senators who sold out their
voters.

I'd like to see us also call out the companies that buy the data from the
telecoms. Just because it is legal, doesn't mean it is right. I'm not sure how
one would track down who purchased the data, but if a billboard said "X bought
your data without your consent", would shaming the purchaser also be a
possibility?

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txmx2000
No they can't. It Has been illegal for nearly a century and it id still is
illegal to sell telecommunication customers' data. Congress just reversed the
FCC rules from October. It has to do with an government agency overstepping
their authority and nothing to do with privacy.

Anybody who says otherwise is lying or ignorant of the law regarding CPNI.

[https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2015-title47-vol3/pdf/CFR-...](https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2015-title47-vol3/pdf/CFR-2015-title47-vol3-part64-subpartU.pdf)

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SwellJoe
Either you're misunderstanding the impact of the change, or the ACLU, the EFF,
and a number of reputable news organizations are misunderstanding it.

ACLU: [https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-comment-congressional-move-
al...](https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-comment-congressional-move-allow-
internet-providers-sell-consumer-data-without-permission)

EFF: [https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/five-creepy-things-
you...](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/five-creepy-things-your-isp-
could-do-if-congress-repeals-fccs-privacy-protections)

The Guardian:
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/28/internet-...](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/28/internet-
service-providers-sell-browsing-history-house-vote)

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danderino
Can someone explain what "selling web browsing and app usage data" really
means?

I don't imagine they literally package sensitive information and distribute it
to anyone who pays. In which case, "they sell your data" is completely
misleading.

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veidr
> * I don't imagine they literally package sensitive information and
> distribute it to anyone who pays.*

Why on earth don't you imagine that? On this website alone, there are quite
literally stories every week about various companies doing that exact thing.

E.g.:
[http://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/04/23/heartbreaking](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/04/23/heartbreaking)

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libeclipse
Is it possible to organise something like this in the UK? I would donate
readily.

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glubGlub
And nothing changes.

They were unrecognizable nobodies before, and now they are unrecognizable
nobodies with more money. They will become unrecognizable nobodies again, next
week, or next month, or next year, and move right along with the rest of their
lives.

Conceptually, this is how legislation works. You start with politicians no one
cares about, and you end with politicians no one cares about selling you out,
because most of what they do is boring.

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daveguy
Here is the full list:

[https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/29/15100620/congress-fcc-
isp...](https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/29/15100620/congress-fcc-isp-web-
browsing-privacy-fire-sale)

If you see your Congress people on the list you should help replace them with
moderates in their primaries and call them more during the year.

Everyone needs to get to know their Congress. Even if they aren't on the list,
find out who they are and how to contact them. You only have 3 of them! 2
statewide senators and your house rep. Just 3!

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logfromblammo
My state does not have open primaries, and my rep tore his fax machine out of
the wall to keep ResistBot from using it. Some of these people are like
cockroaches. They scuttle into the closest hiding spot whenever the lights
come on. Then they're back to crawling all over your food the instant the
public gets distracted again.

And they can get away with it, thanks to safe districts.

What we need to focus on is purely algorithmic redistricting for 2020, and
approval voting for all ballots. Gerrymandering and FPTP voting are deliberate
impediments to political competition that must be removed if meaningful change
is to occur.

Your voice will not be heard on net neutrality if your rep doesn't have to
listen to you. Your voice will not be heard on data privacy if your rep does
not have to listen to you. Your voice will not be heard on allowing local
municipal broadband systems if your rep does not have to listen to you. Your
voice will not be heard on _anything_ so long as your rep can safely ignore
you term after term after term.

So you really need to worry about your state legislature now, so you can
abolish gerrymandering before 2020, and possibly also get rid of first-past-
the-post voting.

