Internet Caste System: A Big Threat to Net Neutrality

Since the introduction of the first internet line, net neutrality has been around to promote freedom and equality in the internet. It defines a set of internet standards where one is free to generate internet content (music, video, radio, image, and data) and share it with thousands of other users worldwide. It promotes equal opportunity for all types of internet data in the usage of the internet highway regardless of its source. In effect, the internet grew rapidly and now has over 8 billion pages at its disposal.

Whenever we hear of the name “Google”, we often attribute it to the very popular search engine site that is the most used today. Google is indeed considered a major player (if not the most popular) in the internet market. The Google search engine is undoubtedly the most used search engine site today while YouTube is the most popular video-sharing website which is also owned by Google. Despite of its massive popularity, Google is now being criticized for its unethical stance with regards to internet freedom.

It has been rumored that Google and Verizon are now nearing an agreement that will change the way how websites are presented and seen in the internet. The deal allows Verizon to speed up the delivery of some online content to internet users provided that the owner of the site is willing to pay a priority fee. The effect of this deal is very crucial to website owners and content contributors as they will now have to pay before their works get decent exposure. Websites that do not subscribe to the priority list will get less exposure and slower delivery of its contents.

The actions of Google and Verizon are clearly directed to removing the existence of internet neutrality. Non-profit organizations and small businesses are the ones who will directly suffer from these actions as they are unable to afford the required subscription fees. Another aspect to consider is the hindrance to innovation. Facebook started out as a simple school project that eventually grew to become the most popular social networking tool today. If the deal is implemented, the progress of small but innovative start-up websites will be greatly halted.

Today, there has been widespread public outcry that ultimately condemns the Google-Verizon deal. The age of a free and just internet is put under greater risk. We might be seeing the establishment of an Internet Caste system where only the wealthy owners of website will dominate the online world. We all must call on Google to be responsible enough and preserve the freedom that internet users enjoyed for over 40 years. President Obama promised to protect net neutrality. Let us see now if he really keeps his promises.

Internet Neutrality is Under Constant Threat

For over 40 long years, humans have used the internet to freely communicate and to share information with other people from across the globe. It has widely become the primary mainstream media for valuable information. What separates the internet from other forms of media is because of its free nature. People are able to access the internet at the same time contributors and website owners are able to upload information without having the need to pay extra costs or spend a lot of money. Besides, the internet was developed to benefit everyone who intends to use it.

Today, internet freedom and neutrality is under constant threat from capitalists and opportunists who would like to filter internet usage and give more exposure to websites who are able to pay and subscribe to certain packages and deals. Removing internet neutrality would easily mean putting filters in the usage of information and the posting of content. It will control the flow of communication where one needs to pay a certain fee in order to access a certain level of information.

Just recently, major carriers such as AT&T proposed to sell the right to websites or applications in order to get maximum exposure. Websites who are able to pay a required fee will get better services and will be able to load their sites faster while other non-paying sites will be reduced to second-tier service. This will greatly impact non-profit organizations and small business who might not afford the fees asked from them. Wikipedia.org, which is one of the most popular and most used dictionary-encyclopedia website, is in danger of collapse because of this potential change in the governing rules of the internet.

Google on the mean time is evaluating a possible deal with Verizon in making Youtube more popular and better exposed to the public. If this proposal is approved, Youtube will easily crash all other video sharing and video streaming competitors. In case not everybody knows about this, several breakthrough websites were products of internet neutrality. The widely popular social media site Facebook started as only as a school project and eventually grown into one of the most widely used today. With the proposal of Internet Neutrality, these talents and breakthroughs will struggle to make it through mainstream media.

In this turn of events, let us also realize that it is also our own freedom that is very much at stake. Let us not allow these capitalists to shatter the 40+ years of absolute freedom enjoyed by millions of internet users worldwide. By influencing our politicians with our votes, we can tell them to fight for internet neutrality and preserve the usefulness of the internet.