Net Neutrality Fears

Discussion in 'Discussion' started by 61, Dec 30, 2013.

  1. 61 No. B

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    http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/11/so-the-internets-about-to-lose-its-net-neutrality

    Like, for real. Not that we didn't all know this was inevitable, though. This is just a chilling reminder that not only is it coming, but it's coming sooner rather than later.

    And no, I'm not saying this is end of days or that it's time to grab your pickets and turn all conspiracy-theorist. It's just sad to see how quickly something so great can be ruined by people. It's depressing.
     
  2. Amaury Legendary Hero

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    Just like they've been trying to bass Internet bills, such as ACTA, all this time, this, too, has been going on for years.

    I don't really look at it as anything to worry about.
     
  3. Peace and War Bianca, you minx!

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    I doubt it'll go through.
    I do wonder how governments think they can govern an information network across the globe that doesn't basically destroy its basic use. Including the very principles they use it for. I understand the internet is a chaotic and difficult place to govern, but it's got more good than bad, whether they see it or not.
     
  4. Styx That's me inside your head.

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    I don't think any government can tie the internet down to a globally noticeable degree, let alone permanently. Simply put, the internet is provided by a number of corporations that won't hesitate to look abroad if a bill they sufficiently dislike threatens to pass.
     
  5. Ars Nova Just a ghost.

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    I'm not one to think it could never happen - that leads to apathy, which is what makes it possible. But the article also comes off fatalistic. Inevitably, restricting the flow of goods and services comes with a price: If you don't offer the best, people take notice, and they become dissatisfied. AT&T, Verizon and Comcast can crack down on all the startups they want, but if someone's providing a program or valuable service that they can't match, people will get their hands on it. Meritocracy tends to enforce itself in spite of all else - and as we know, freedom is relative. Sometimes you have to fight for it, but rarely is it outright denied.
     
  6. What? 『 music is freedom 』

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    The internet is a very fluid entity, and arguably the 20th century models of governing certain groups attempt to apply to it are akin to sectioning off a piece of a river by placing the pikes only mid-water deep. Essentially, the nature of the internet is something that is slowly changing the method of information distribution that has become so integral to our lives; it is part of the reason why such digital-rights struggles become popular, and why one can find nearly anything they need if they look hard enough. What is more, the internet is akin to a neural system of multiple agents, often with similar goals, forming a featureless group working together to spread information or some service globally. As long as ideas fly through the Wi-Fi waves then simple quarantines and sectioning off cannot put off entire groups because of the intrinsic fluidity of the internet. Like Nova said, economics and demand create a good incentive for the engine behind internet fluidity, among other things. Though anonymity seems to slowly die off these days, this appears less of a problem namely because the new internet does not completely require such a dichotomy between anonymity and reality if it means being able to send and distribute information regardless. These institutions may indeed come into place during our lifetimes, but it feels more as if the internet and its function as a collective, globalized human consciousness acting as the agent changing or controlling society, rather than the other way around.
     
  7. libregkd -

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    Last edited: Jan 6, 2014
  8. Styx That's me inside your head.

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  9. 61 No. B

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  10. libregkd -

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  11. 61 No. B

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    This video does a good job in explaining why this is a problem.
     
  12. Amaury Legendary Hero

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    I'm not for this and definitely think it should remain the way it is, but, at the same time, I don't see why it's causing an uproar.

    From how I read it and watching @Illuminaudio's video above, it would be turned into how cable and satellite companies currently work, where you buy a package and you get certain channels, such as Nickelodeon. Additionally, it's only some ISPs that would do this, such as Verizon, so if you're not with one of those ISPs, there shouldn't be any problems.
     
  13. libregkd -

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  14. Amaury Legendary Hero

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  16. 61 No. B

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    How can you not see why? This is a huge deal. For one it allows for privatized selective censorship of basically the entire internet among other things. I'm not saying that I'll wake up tomorrow or next week or even next year and find that the face of the internet as we know it has changed, but as long as net neutrality is not a thing, these things will happen. ISPs would like nothing more than to milk their service as much as they can at the expense of everyone using it, and if people don't do something there will be nothing stopping them. People act like this isn't a big deal or it doesn't affect them, but my god, we're talking about how people are allowed to use the internet, how people are allowed to use the internet, this affects damn well near everybody using the internet and if private organizations are able to censor the internet, say goodbye to free expression because they decide what you see and what you don't see.

    I can't say any better than that video, but so many people don't seem to understand the gravity of this situation.
     
  17. Sara Tea Drinker

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    Being stuck with a company due to the location of my state...

    I see them totally milking this. I am pretty pissed this is going on, they're already raising hell about me simply going on Youtube and Springboard. I LITERALLY can only have a few seconds of a video load per time because they severely restricted my access to the website. They think it is "severe competition" that will destroy them. It pisses me off already, and they'll make it much worse now that they can legally do it. And they are the milking type of company.
     
  18. NemesisPrime Hollow Bastion Committee

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    I do not agree with this ruling but I can see the logic for WHY they did it. It's a big reset button and all is not lost because the FCC is considering appealing the decision and this time let's do it RIGHT.
     
  19. Sara Tea Drinker

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  20. Peace and War Bianca, you minx!

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    Changed the title to better reflect the discussion going on.

    Honestly informative, it's such a common issue for internet users. As long as people make an uproar about the wrongs of such issues, and have the right thinking people, we should be sorted.