Group promises billboard attacks against lawmakers voting to repeal internet privacy rules

An internet rights group is promising to put up billboards attacking lawmakers who vote in favor of a bill that would dismantle privacy protections for internet users.

If the bill is signed into law, as is widely expected, the Fight for the Future campaign will put up billboards in Washington, D.C., and select districts that list the lawmakers who voted for the measure.

The bill passed the Senate last week in a 50-to-48 vote along party lines. If it passes the House on Tuesday and gets the president’s signature, the measure would repeal a set of Federal Communication Commission rules that require internet service providers to get customers’ permission before using their data to create targeted advertisements.

{mosads}A draft of the billboard shows a list of the 50 Republicans who voted for the bill on Thursday, along with the text, “They betrayed you.”

“Congress should know by now that when you come for the Internet, the Internet comes for you, these billboards are just the beginning,” Evan Greer, the group’s campaign director, said in a statement. “People from across the political spectrum are outraged, and every lawmaker who votes to take away our privacy will regret it come election day.”

Privacy advocates say repealing the rule would give service providers free reign to mine their customers’ data to create tailored ads. Opponents of the rule have argued that it unfairly subjects providers to tougher regulations than websites such as Facebook and Google, which also create targeted ads.