FCC Rule Used Against Legislators Who Sold Your Browsing History

crowdfunding campaign hopes to expose congressional member browsing history

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably already heard that Congress recently passed a bill that would allow Internet Service Providers (ISP's) to sell your personal information, usage data, and browsing history to the highest bidder. While some websites already do that, take for example the targeted ads you see on Facebook and Google, this is the first time the practice has gotten a nod from lawmakers - particularly where the ISPs themselves are concerned.

In an effort to fight the law, the website searchinternethistory.com is attempting to raise $1 million in funding in order to purchase the browsing history of the members of congress and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) who approved the measure. The site contains a poll asking visitors whose Internet history should be purchased first - FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R - Wisconsin), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R - Kentucky), and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R – Tennessee). So far, Paul Ryan is far and away the most popular pick with a whopping 35% of the vote.

Adam McElhaney, the owner of the site, says that he intends to make the information a fully searchable database that is accessible to the public if his campaign is successful: “Everything from their medical, pornographic, to their financial and infidelity. Anything they have looked at, searched for, or visited on the Internet will now be available for everyone to comb through.” “If it takes a million dollars to get real change, I am sure a million people are willing to donate $1 to help ensure their private data stays private,” wrote Adam McElhaney, who launched a GoFundMe campaign for the endeavor.

On the GoFundMe campaign page, McElhaney clarified that while he understands the fact that there are inherent privacy risks in using social media, the rules that Congress dismantled are beyond the pale. He says, “I understand that what I put on the Internet is out there and not private. Those are the risks you assume. I’m not ashamed of what I put out on the Internet,” he wrote. “However, I don’t think that what I lookup on the Internet, what sites I visit, my browsing habits, should be bought and sold to whoever. Without my consent.”

McElhaney, a self-described “privacy activist & net neutrality Advocate,” said that since the House and Senate have allowed the browsing history and online data of the American people to be sold and purchased by major ISPs, that that the people themselves should be able to buy the same records that belong to elected officials and their families.

“Since we didn’t get an opportunity to vote on whether our private and personal browsing history should be bought and sold, I wanted to show our legislators what a democracy is like. So, I’m giving you the opportunity to vote on whose history gets bought first.”

“Help me raise money to buy the histories of those who took away your right to privacy,” McElhaney adds.

McElhaney isn’t just interested in raising money. On his website, he also puts out a call to those who do not have the means to donate money to the campaign to donate their time in other ways. He is also looking for volunteers to donate any useful skills - from accountants, lawyers, data engineers, and software developers. So far in the comments on the GoFundMe page, there are many who appear to be eager to take him up on that call.

As of the time of this writing, the Search Internet History campaign has raised over $51,000, shattering its goal of $10,000.

- By Kylie Frazier