The end of the internet?

[Raggit]

Interesting talk going around about the privatization of the internet by the communications companies, and the end of what they call Network Neutrality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality), which disallows ISPs from deciding FOR you what you can view and what you cannot.Ã, 

From what I understand, this wouldn't be based on morals, politics, or anything like that, but more on which sites PAY the most money to those service companies.

http://www.savetheinternet.com

The above site has a lot of informative and interesting stuff to read.Ã,  You might want to swing by and sign their petition, which will also send a letter to your state representatives, urging them to vote in favor of Network Neutrality.

If you like to surf the internet freely, this is definately something to keep an eye on.Ã,  I don't have to tell you what will happen if a handful of companies are allowed to take full control of your internet access.Ã,  *GASP* This could even mean the end of the AGS network!Ã,  Ã, 

[passer-by]

//If you think about search engines and their policies (the more you pay the higher you are placed), about inaccessibility of certain sites in certain countries etc, the end of neutrality has begun.

Yes, I use the internet for my daily intake of information, I use it to communicate although it seems I'm monitored, I use it as a pastime, an education tool and as an ironing and washing up avoiding strategy. If things go bad I'll lose my feeling (or illusion?)of independence but I won't get depressed about it.

Authorities may buy one tool of communication, but another one takes its place. When they denied access to handwritten scrolls, printed books were invented that made information widely available. When the authorities intercepted "propagandistic" printed material, the radio was invented, the telephone, the television, the internet etc etc...

People always find a way.//

[Afflict]

The interenet will never die never never ever. Its universal not commercial and no one can really shut it down IMHO there are just to many powers at play.

[LGM]

yay capitalism...

[Alynn]

So the ones that pay more money will get shown more often... so... it seems that we will have streaming porn 24 hours a day.

[Mr Flibble]

It'd be tough but.... I think I could live with it. 

[m0ds]

I wish the entire internet could go down for a month. That'd be awesome.

We'd have to rely on good old fashioned values.

Then techno-geeks heads would explode.

It'd be funny!

I heard about the privatisation, Raggit - and I'd imagine in the not so distant future, it'll happen in some form or another.

[vict0r]

How could the internet possibly be shut down? It's not anything the goverment could really do anything about anymore... Or is it?

[Radiant]

How could the internet possibly be shut down? It's not anything the goverment could really do anything about anymore... Or is it?

Certainly. China does.

[LimpingFish]

To borrow from another thread:

Good Idea: Creating the Internet.
Bad Idea: Creating the Internet.

Man, I'm deep.

[vict0r]

Aaah! Mixing the " " with LimpingFishs avatar... I won't be able to sleep tonight :'(

[Las Naranjas]

China's firewalls are quite simple to avoid with proxies, the only way it has any effectiveness is because of the staggering political apathy of the Chinese people.

[passer-by]

China's firewalls are quite simple to avoid with proxies

Don't take "geekiness" as a given. I want the internet to inform people in political and social matters. Not many know how to use a computer properly, they only know the basics. A proxy? What is a proxy? Not many people look further than the "error:not found page". Provided that they know about the firewalls in the first place.

That aside, I still think what keeps people alert in politics etc is not the internet, but their own wish to be informed and active citizens, Remove that and you'll have passive sheep, internet or no internet.

[hedgefield]

It would be quite disturbing if such a thing came to pass. We can't let our freedom be limited by commercial interests. That's a direct violation of the constitution. But as someone pointed out, if it did come to pass, Google, Microsoft and other multimillion dollar companies would probably just buy up all those crooked little ISPs.

Reminds me of the time a little while ago in Holland, when some politician had the radiant idea to create social security numbers for every internet user. You'd have to log into the Internet... -.-"

[Radiant]

We can't let our freedom be limited by commercial interests. That's a direct violation of the constitution.

We already do. Especially in America... hoarding of ridiculous patents, lawsuits against open source federation, actions against music downloads, corporate bullying of individuals, digital restrictions management... the list goes on and on. Don't deceive yourself that you're free.

But as someone pointed out, if it did come to pass, Google, Microsoft and other multimillion dollar companies would probably just buy up all those crooked little ISPs.

It's more likely that those multimillion dollar companies ARE the crooked ISPs.

[DGMacphee]

Just to add another dimension to this discussion...

Isn't it strange for the same communication companies involved in the net neutrality debate are also allegedly involved in the NSA wiretap scandal. The major telcos involved with Capitol Hill TWICE in such a short period? Nah, it has to be a coincidence!

Verizon has so far denied they gave out any information but, hey, can you believe 'em?

Have a read of this.
And this.

Funny how this crazy world of ours keeps making these zany connections.

[2ma2]

Internet is easy to control. But there is a project of untracable transactions of information in the works, much like the Bittorrent system. That every piece if info is multiplied and hacked up so it is impossible to see what you surf and who got what info. It is all goodies for mathematicians, but then my mom for some reaosn gave me a novel about Soviet union and a struggle to create voice encryption telephones, which basically worked in the same way. The same ideas in new mediums. Kinda cool when you think about it.