Asking Congress to Examine the Data Practices of Internet Service Providers

At Mozilla, we work hard to ensure our users’ browsing activity is protected when they use Firefox. That is why we launched enhanced tracking protection this year – to safeguard users from the pervasive online tracking of personal data by ad networks and companies. And over the last two years, Mozilla, in partnership with other industry stakeholders, has been working to develop, standardize, and deploy DNS over HTTPs (DoH). Our goal with DoH is to protect essentially that same browsing activity from interception, manipulation, and collection in the middle of the network.

This dedication to protecting your browsing activity is why today we’ve also asked Congress to examine the privacy and security practices of internet service providers (ISPs), particularly as they relate to the domain name services (DNS) provided to American consumers. Right now these companies have access to a stream of a user’s browsing history. This is particularly concerning in light of to the rollback of the broadband privacy rules, which removed guardrails for how ISPs can use your data.  The same ISPs are now fighting to prevent the deployment of DoH.

These developments have raised serious questions. How is your browsing data being used by those who provide your internet service? Is it being shared with others? And do consumers understand and agree to these practices? We think it’s time Congress took a deeper look at ISP practices to figure out what exactly is happening with our data.

At Mozilla, we refuse to believe that you have to trade your privacy and control in order to enjoy the technology you love. Our hope is that a congressional review of these practices uncovers valuable insights, informs the public, and helps guide continuing efforts to draft smart and comprehensive consumer privacy legislation.

See our full letter to Congressional leaders here.