Cards Against Humanity Creator Rails Against Congress

Congress has decided Americans' web browsing history isn't private, so Americans are now trying to turn the tables on Congress. Per the Washington Post, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised via various crowdfunding efforts—including more than $73,000 by Supernatural star Misha Collins and more than $173,000 by a Tennessee "privacy activist"—to buy browsing data for President Trump and members of Congress who voted for SJR34. As CNET notes, even Cards Against Humanity co-creator Max Temkin got into the act, tweeting on Monday: "If this s--- passes I will buy the browser history of every congressman and congressional aide and publish it." But some say everyone should hold off on writing a check. First, Trump still hasn't officially signed off on the bill (though he's expected to) that would keep things status quo, making such data free game for ISPs.

But also, per the Verge and Heavy.com, sharing individual browsing histories isn't legal except in rare cases, though sharing aggregate customer data is (and some worry these rules could one day be loosened). Taylor Hatmaker also writes for TechCrunch the crowdfunding efforts are "hypocritical," considering everyone's ostensible concern for privacy. Quartz notes even Temkin is walking things back, noting the bill hasn't been signed (he's now "skeptical" of any current GoFundMe efforts) and that it will be difficult to acquire Congress' web-browsing history even if the bill is signed. He asks people to donate for now to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "If and when any data becomes available, myself and Cards Against Humanity will do whatever we can do [to] acquire it and publish it," reads his Reddit post—which still doesn't seem to sync with current legalities. (One tip: Use a VPN.)