WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Internet service providers collect a “staggering” amount of detailed data on consumers, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan said on Thursday in discussing an agency staff report on information collected by major providers like AT&T (NYSE:) and Verizon (NYSE:) Wireless.

Khan said that “we intend to continue an ongoing conversation about commercial data practices and user privacy” but also pointed out that any data collected might be an issue during merger reviews.

For the report, the FTC requested information from AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Charter, Comcast (NASDAQ:)’s Xfinity, Alphabet (NASDAQ:) Inc.’s Google Fiber and T-Mobile as well as advertising firms associated with AT&T and Verizon.

Agency staff discovered that browsing histories and stream data were collected by the companies. They also found sensitive information such as race, gender, orientation, real-time location and other personal characteristics. This data was sometimes shared with third party.

According to the report, some ISPs keep customer data for a specific period. Others say that they retain consumer data as long as is necessary.

Khan explained that even when internet service providers claim to be offering customers choices about how their data would be used, the reality was that users are often prevented from opting out by poor design decisions.

In 2017, the Federal Communications Commission gave permission for FTC to take control of ISPs. Khan stated that she supports efforts to reveal this authority.

Google and Verizon both declined to comment, while Verizon did not respond immediately.