Republican senators have introduced legislation that would overturn new privacy rules for internet service providers. If the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules are eliminated, ISPs would not have to get consumers' explicit consent before selling or sharing Web browsing data and other private information with advertisers and other third parties.

The Republicans are also bringing in additional laws to prevent the FCC ever issuing regulations that stop ISPs and telcos from selling private data in the future.

Flake's announcement said he's trying to "protect consumers from overreaching Internet regulation". Although it is hard to see how consumers can be harmed by regulation which stops their personal data being sold. However, we are living in an age where if you tweet a lie it is automatically accepted as being the truth, so we guess it must be true.

Flake also said that the resolution "empowers consumers to make informed choices on if and how their data can be shared", but he did not explain how it will achieve that, but then again, he wouldn’t.

Flake called the FCC's privacy rulemaking "midnight regulation", even though it was approved by the commission in October 2016, before the presidential election, after a months long rulemaking process. But hey, a lie is truth.

The rulemaking had a data security component that required ISPs to take "reasonable" steps to protect customers' information from theft and data breaches. This was supposed to take effect on March 2, but the FCC under newly appointed Chairman Ajit Pai halted the rule's implementation. Another set of requirements related to data breach notifications is scheduled to take effect on June

There is a bit of opposition to the rules. Senator Edward Markey pointed out that the big broadband barons and their Republican allies want to turn the telecommunications marketplace into a Wild West where consumers are held captive with no defence against abusive invasions of their privacy by internet service providers.