Enough is Enough

Tell Congress Protecting Your Personal Privacy Starts Today

At Keepsafe, we believe that protecting people’s personal space is of paramount importance to the health of individuals and society. We’re deeply concerned about S.J. Res. 34, a bill sponsored by Republicans in the US Senate that repeals FCC rules put in place last year. The FCC’s regulations protect citizens from having their browsing history and app usage tracked and sold to advertisers. It also bars the FCC from making similar regulations in the future.

The truth is, tracking people’s browsing history and app usage is a practice that’s been normalized by technology companies like Google and Facebook. Companies like these have made an implicit exchange with people who use their products: when people agree to Terms of Service and Privacy Policies (and let’s face it, it’s not often these actually get read…) we exchange aspects of our privacy for the convenience of using the tools on the Internet we enjoy.

Where S.J. Res. 34 breaks down is that people pay their Internet Service Providers (ISPs) directly. When money changes hands and people pay for a digital service, consumers should expect that their privacy will be honored and not further monetized.

People’s most sensitive browsing data is also protected from ISPs when consumers use encrypted (HTTPS) websites. ISPs are lobbying for the capability to remove encryption to access people’s browsing data and create advertising profiles from their customers before re-encrypting it. This proposal threatens to compromise encryption’s strength and makes people’s data more vulnerable to hacking.

Here are the problems:

• Our internet searches are extensions of our brains. When we know that our searches are being tracked, we stop exploring our the Internet freely (and abandon our curiosities and dreams). We start policing ourselves, which in turn nullifies our individual liberty and the comfort that comes from being true to ourselves.
• Encryption is one of the primary safeguards of digital privacy. If ISPs have the right to remove encryption and repurpose people’s data for their own purposes before re-encrypting, it erodes the integrity of encryption and personal security.
• When our fantasies and preoccupations can be bought and sold by advertisers, suddenly we find ourselves vulnerable to the interests of others. We’re no longer in control of our experiences online.

Enough is enough. Now is the time to take back privacy as a fundamental human right. You can take these steps right now to join Keepsafe’s movement to protect personal space.

1. Call your US Representative in Congress TODAY to let your voice be heard. Tell your congressperson to vote NO on S.J. Res. 34.
2. Only browse using products that put privacy first and are private-by-design like Keepsafe.
3. Sign up here to join Keepsafe’s movement to protect people’s personal space. We’ll send you swag and tell you when we launch new products to protect your personal space.

Remember, you alone have the power to protect your privacy online and vote everyday with your eyeballs and wallet. Stay informed, be smart, and keep safe!