Minnesota may become the first state to legally prohibit Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from sharing personally identifiable information about their customers with third parties without their permission.
That could occur if negotiators for the state Senate and House of Representatives agree on whether consumers should be able to opt in or opt out.
Under House bill 580, sponsored by Democrat Matt Entenza consumers would be able to opt out of having their ISPs share their names, street or e-mail addresses and telephone numbers with third parties.
But under Senate Bill 565 sponsored by Democrat State Sen. Steve Kelley consumers would have to opt in before their ISP could share their information with anyone. Both bills were introduced last month.
ISP’s are “in a unique position to track anything and everything somebody does on the Web,” Kelley said. Consumers should have control of their personal information, he added.
The issue is currently under review by both the Federal Communications and Federal Trade Commissions.
ISP’s such as AOL Time Warner, Verizon, and the Internet Alliance, an industry trade association, oppose both measures. They said if any regulations are necessary, they should be set nationally instead of by state or local governments.
So far the Minnesota AARP, formerly called the American Association of Retired Persons, is the only group supporting the concept of both bills.
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