Wikipedia states
“Net neutrality (also network neutrality, Internet neutrality, or net equality) is the principle that Internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the Internet the same, not discriminating or charging
differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached
equipment, or mode of communication”. When a service provider, using software codes, deliberately favour’s content
of a specific provider subsiding the content which is available on open
Internet, is where the compromise on Net Neutrality occurs.
In a bid to pull
maximum Internet traffic and provide a user with his required information, the
large organisations are plying the concept of ‘Traffic shaping’, where-in they
would control the accessibility of bandwidth which would prioritise there data deliberately,
while compromising share of others.
From a layman’s
perspective, one might appear to have least affect of its consequences and that
one may never be able to identify the effects of such calibration. But in a
long run he wouldn’t be spared from the ill effects as organisations might
segregate the required data and would charge him for specific request creating
a whirlpool of monopoly for specific industry leaders. For example, if a user desires
data for flying from Mumbai to New York, companies may deliberately provide flying
schedule for a particular airliner at a cost they demand, and would deprive
user with other flying options which may be cheaper, if not the best. To sum
up, the concept of ‘Rich becoming richer at the cost of poor’ may come in play
if Net Neutrality is compromised with.
In Zuckerberg’s recent visit to India, he
emphasised on controlling Internet for betterment of the user, which to some
extent might be possible, but shall create a huge gap between ‘haves and have-nots’
creating a huge biased towards those with money and power. And if they are successful
to get their bite, the people, or for that matter the whole country shall stand
on the brink of digital slavery which would never ever be freed from. Hence,
the government, in their bid to digitalise the nation, should not fall in trap of
such cunning intentions of large corporations and must warrant stringent laws
with heaviest capital and personal punishment against those who ditch them.
Save the Internet.
Visit site www.savetheinternet.in and register your discontent.
