UPDATE 4/4: As expected, President Donald Trump on Monday signed a bill that overturns a Federal Communications Commission rule requiring ISPs to get permission before selling consumer browsing history and other data.

Trump's signature comes after both houses of Congress voted to pass the resolution, which means Internet service providers could have an easier time selling their customers' data.

In response to the news, several big names, including Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon, have come forward in recent days to assure users that they do not sell their customers' web browsing histories, and have no plans to start now.

UPDATE 3/28: Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the resolution by a vote of 215 to 205 on Tuesday. No Democrats voted yes, and 15 Republicans broke ranks to vote no.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation says the House vote ends a "decades long legal tradition that your communications provider is never allowed to monetize your personal information without asking for your permission first."

New FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, however, says the move reverses "privacy regulations designed to benefit one group of favored companies over another group of disfavored companies." He argues that the rules "stripped the FTC of its authority over Internet service providers."

The measure now heads to President Trump, who is likely to sign it.

(If you're worried about your online security, check out PCMag's roundup of Best VPN Services and our explainer for How to Stay Anonymous Online.)

Original Story 3/23:
Internet service providers could have an easier time selling their customers' data thanks to a Senate vote on Thursday that overturns a Federal Communications Commission rule requiring ISPs to get permission before selling consumer browsing history and other data.

The Senate voted along party lines to repeal the rule, with 50 Republicans voting yes and 48 Democrats rejecting the measure, Reuters reports. It was unclear when the measure will be up for a vote in the House of Representatives, although President Donald Trump is likely to sign it if it's successful there.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate was overturning a regulation that "makes the internet an uneven playing field, increases complexity, discourages competition, innovation, and infrastructure investment," according to Reuters. The Internet and Television Association, a trade group made up of Comcast and many other ISPs, also hailed the vote.

The move comes after the FCC, now headed by Trump-appointed chairman Ajit Pai, blocked a rule put in place by the previous administration that would requires ISPs to obtain opt-in consent before sharing sensitive data like Social Security numbers, geolocation, health information, and web browsing history. Pai announced earlier this month that the FCC would stay the implementation of the new rule, describing it as "not consistent" with the privacy framework of the Federal Trade Commission.

In a joint statement following Thursday's Senate vote, FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn and FTC commissioner Terrell McSweeney, both Democrats, condemned the legislation.

"This legislation will frustrate the FCC's future efforts to protect the privacy of voice and broadband customers," they said. "It also creates a massive gap in consumer protection law as broadband and cable companies now have no discernible privacy requirements."

The American Civil Liberties Union also voiced its opposition, with ACLU Legislative Counsel Neema Singh Guliani saying in a statement that it was "extremely disappointing that the Senate voted today to sacrifice the privacy rights of Americans in the interest of protecting the profits of major internet companies."

Also, as the ACLU notes, "passage of the resolution by Congress could prevent the FCC from issuing rules that are substantially the same in the future."