AUGUSTA — A Maine Democrat says her bill would ban internet service providers from selling their customers’ online browsing data to third parties without explicit consent.

Roughly a dozen states have taken up measures in the last two months to enhance internet privacy laws following the defeat of protections proposed on the federal level.

Sen. Shenna Bellows says her bill applies to companies providing broadband internet to customers within the state. Republican Sens. Garrett Mason and David Woodsome are co-sponsors.

President Donald Trump last month signed a law that could allow internet providers to sell information about their consumers’ online browsing habits.

It nullified a regulation from the Federal Communications Commission that aimed to block broadband providers from mining people’s internet histories for profit, a rule that had not yet been implemented.

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