The Federal Communication Commission passed a bill in 2016 that gave Internet users more control of their Internet browsing data. The FCC’s 2016 bill said that broadband companies must receive customer consent before their information can be released. On April 3, President Donald J. Trump signed a bill that revoked just that.

The Congressional Review Act gives Trump and Republicans of Congress the ability to overturn recently implemented regulations. Linfield’s Chief Technology Officer, Virginia Tomlinson, says that this change should concern Internet users. “This means that everyone is at risk of having their personal data exploited more aggressively in the future,” Tomlinson said. The reversal of this bill also prohibits the FCC from creating similar rules that would prevent consumer data from being sold.

Fortune 500 said that the following information could now be sold without user consent: direct locations, app usage, web browsing history, financial information and communications content. This means large Internet Service Providers such as Verizon, AT & T and Comcast can sell consumers data.

The ISP Linfield uses is Comcast. Comcast denied selling their customers’ web browsing history and do not intend to do so. The Comcast Commitment to Consumer Privacy says, “We have committed not to share our customers’ sensitive information (such as banking, children’s, and health information_, unless we first obtain their affirmative, opt-in consent.” Since the FCC’s bill has been dismantled, customers have less control now that the FCC’s regulations have been dismantled.

Tomlinson says companies like Facebook and Google are already using and selling consumer information, and people who are concerned about their privacy can invest in a commercial VPN product. “Please consider your VPN provider carefully – they will also have the capability of monitoring your personal data.  If you are getting a VPN for free, it is possible that they are using or selling your data to make money on the VPN product,” Tomlinson said.