Though it might seem like an invasion of your privacy, it is true that an ISP stores your browser searches. But, in truth, if there’s anything that can be considered to be an illusion nowadays, it’s the idea of privacy, particularly when it comes to the online world. Sure, we can always turn to VPNs or other privacy-oriented tools and think of how they put our computer into a bubble, but this is exercise is futile given that most people voluntarily share every little aspect of their lives on social media.
With that said, the idea of ISPs storing such personal data as the things you share for is a complex topic that differs from country to country. In the U.S. court orders can be issued to ISPs requiring the handover of data from certain IP addresses associated with illegal activity, and as such these companies need to keep a backlog of records for different amounts of time. It’s not only legal issues that are the reasons behind ISPs collecting browsing history records since business is always at the forefront; ISPs make profit from selling those records to marketing companies who are keen on bombarding users with targeted advertisements.
While this is considered a shameful practice by many people, it’s not any different from what Facebook or Google have been doing for years.Honestly, talking about ISPs gathering customer data and not mentioning these giant media companies simply doesn’t make sense, as these two know more about their users than any ISP can. It’s not just them, obviously, but among other things Google and Facebook aggregate demographic data and the preferences you demonstrate on your profile. In turn, advertisers are offered the most desirable audiences and pay good money for such information.