The US Senate has begun removing laws that force internet providers to have user consent before using personal information. The current laws were passed under the Obama Administration, and mean that a user's location, bank details, medical information and web history cannot be used for advertising or marketing purposes without permission. However, the US Senate has now moved to reverse the law. Senator Jeff Flake, who sponsored the new bill, said that the reason behind the change was to “restore balance to the internet ecosystem and provide certainty to consumers”. The vote has been met with criticism by some however, with Senator Bill Nelson calling the data that would be able to be collected the “holy grail” of data, warning that there was now nothing to prevent information being sold the highest bidder.
