Net Neutrality: Obama In Full Support

The Speech: 

There are no gate keepers to decide which sites you need to access, there are no toll roads. The idea of net neutrality has given an opportunity for innovators to thrive. The internet is a universal resource, an internet service provider cannot decide which online store you shop at or which opinion you look at. Internet has become a part of everyday communication in everyday life. Over 4 million users have requested that the users get to decide what services they use and the decision has to be their alone for that.

Reference: USA News

What is net neutrality? 

Simply stated, it is a way to ensure that all data on the internet is treated equally, without any discrimination of site, platform, user, application, etc. In other words, it is called open internet wherein the standards are of open and equal communication where everyone has a right to decide what he/she gets to see and use without the interference from a third party. A closed internet however is a restrictive use of the internet where someone else decides what you get to see and what you get to do with the internet. In other words, someone else decides your choices, your options and the decisions you make. Isn’t that giving too much of power to someone else over what we do and our lives?

reference: Wikipedia on net neutrality

The thought behind restrictive internet

The idea of restrictive internet is cloaked in a thought of shielding people from negative and sensitive information, something that would affect the image of a governance, something that would incite a rebellion, thus getting in the way of functioning. Hence, the idea is to interfere with the use of policing, thus controlling what you get to use.

I do agree that internet is an unrestricted source without any limitation on who gets to use it and the amount of information available is immense and it is often quite difficult to identify a single source for information. However blocking the use of some sites doesn’t necessarily makes sense. It results in a single view and there will be companies to pay these internet police to keep the negative information about them blocked. This way, a layman will never be able to take a decision. An unrestricted access means that the final choice is with the end user and not someone else.

In the name of protection, the concept of closed internet is a huge hazard which plays on your freedom of access.

What happens if it is restricted

If internet usage is restricted, the governments have no one to control them, there is no way negative information can be shared or spread about them. The companies which have huge money can block all negative information about them by paying the service providers. In other words, companies can control what people think about them. Doesn’t that get in the way of freedom of speech and expression? What about having a wide range of options? How do you take a decision without a holistic picture  or a balanced view about something?

Why net neutrality is needed

Net neutrality is undoubtedly of prime importance. It is a beautiful way for communication and information in a well spread out world. Internet is the only reason why the world has gone through and realized the benefits of globalization. If there is a move to restrict this, it is violation of a thousand individualistic laws and a sheer controlling pursuit by the companies or the organizations to play the puppet masters.

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