--- description: President Trump on Monday repealed online privacy protections established by the Federal Communications Commission under President Obama title: President Trump Signs Bill Overturning Internet Privacy Protections image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd329cf16cbdf2576/6988c10d4dd215ad89efe5e0/donald-trump-fcc-rules.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [White House](/tag/white-house/) ## White House Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # President Trump Signs Bill Overturning Internet Privacy Protections ## Video: How the Mobile Internet Works [Watch (HLS stream): How the Mobile Internet Works](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ZazsgW6S.m3u8) (1:57)  _Published 2016-07-06. In some ways, the internet actually is a series of tubes. Some cell phone and internet companies might like you to think that your mobile internet connection is truly wireless — but in reality, your data is largely still just shooting through wires._  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 4, 2017 12:51 AM CUT  President Donald Trump looks on as he meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi in the Oval Office of the White House on April 3, 2017. President Donald Trump looks on as he meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi in the Oval Office of the White House on April 3, 2017.Olivier Douliery—Pool/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 4, 2017 12:51 AM CUT President [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4722655/donald-trump-barack-obama-policies/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") on Monday signed into law a controversial measure [repealing online privacy protections](http://fortune.com/2017/04/03/fcc-online-privacy-faq/ "undefined") established by the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama Administration. The [rules](http://time.com/4718034/gop-rolls-back-online-privacy-rules/?iid=sr-link2 "undefined"), which would have taken effect in December, required internet service providers — including Comcast, Verizon and AT&T — to obtain permission from customers before sharing personal data like their web-browsing history. The rules were aimed at preventing internet providers from selling that data without permission. Critics of the rules argued they were an example of government overreach and were unfair because tech companies, like Google and Facebook, are not required to get such permission before tracking customers’ habits. The bill [passed the House and Senate](http://time.com/4716033/house-internet-browsing-history-fcc-comcast-verizon/?iid=sr-link4 "undefined") last week, as Republicans voted to overturn the regulations. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday [urged Trump](http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/sen-chuck-schumer-calls-trump-veto-measure-letting-isps-sell-n741801 "undefined") to veto the bill. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4724128/donald-trump-internet-history-isp-privacy-browser-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4724128/donald-trump-internet-history-isp-privacy-browser-history/"},"headline":"President Trump Signs Bill Overturning Internet Privacy Protections","datePublished":"2017-04-04T00:51:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:11:05.334Z","description":"Allowing internet providers to sell users' online information, like their browser history","url":"https://time.com/4724128/donald-trump-internet-history-isp-privacy-browser-history/","keywords":["White House","Donald Trump","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd329cf16cbdf2576/6988c10d4dd215ad89efe5e0/donald-trump-fcc-rules.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd329cf16cbdf2576/6988c10d4dd215ad89efe5e0/donald-trump-fcc-rules.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Trump Hosts Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi At The White House","caption":"Trump Hosts Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi At The White House","creditText":"Olivier Douliery—Pool/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4724128/donald-trump-internet-history-isp-privacy-browser-history/","name":"President Trump Signs Bill Overturning Internet Privacy Protections"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How the Mobile Internet Works","description":"In some ways, the internet actually is a series of tubes. 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