白宫为计划废除奥巴马时期互联网隐私规定辩护

The White House on Thursday defended a bill recently passed by Congress to repeal Obama-era Internet privacy protections, saying the move is meant to create a fair playing field for telecommunication companies.

White House Spokesman Sean Spicer, during a Thursday press briefing, reiterated President Donald Trump’s support for the plan to repeal a rule forbidding Internet service providers from collecting personal data on users.

Spicer said the Obama administration’s rules reclassified Internet service providers as common carriers, similar to hotels and other retail stores, treating them unfairly compared to edge providers, like Google and Facebook.

Repealing the rules, he said, will “allow service providers to be treated fairly, and consumer protection and privacy concerns to be reviewed on a level playing field.”

Critics of the repeal bill say it could put the Internet browsing histories of private citizens up for sale to the highest bidder.

Spicer called the rules “federal overreach” instituted by “bureaucrats in Washington to take the interests of one group of companies over the interests of others, picking winners and losers.”

He said Trump has signed more legislation “ending job killing rules and regulations” already during his tenure than all former presidents combined. “[Trump] will continue to fight Washington red tape that stifles American innovation, job creation and economic growth,” Spicer said.