By now you have probably heard about net neutrality in your local newspaper, on the radio or even seen a headline or some information on the very medium in which it pertains. We currently have the liberty to post or write on any article or topic allowed by our governing laws without fear of fines[1], imprisonment[2] or death[3]. We have access to multiple points of view through articles, audio, video and files available to download to read, listen and watch at the click of a mouse, but that could all be changing! A brief history lesson: The Internet is a large global collection of inter-networked devices. The origins of the Internet date back to the mid 1960, but this was only in a research phase funded by the United States government to advance communications through the use of computer networks. Colleges, Universities and Government agencies used a more refined version of the original Internet since the 1980's, and the main idea behind this technology was to facilitate the free movement of information. This would give the user access to information that might not be available in hard copy, or to speak with someone that was a distance away without sending a letter or on the telephone which could become very expensive because of toll charges and other fees in the telecom networks. It wasn't until the mid 1990's that the modern Internet was available to consumers in their homes and businesses, which allowed the flow of information to grow exponentially. A person had the capability to find and use information faster, give their thoughts on any number of topics in multiple forums and bulletin boards. They could do so without fear of their thoughts, ideas or opinions really being scrutinized or blocked by anyone other than moderators of the respective boards or forums. Which brings us to the Internet 2015. On January 14, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, made a ruling that prohibits the FCC from enforcing standards that willcompel all Internet Service Providers to treat all Internet Traffic the same regardless of its source. The courts stated that the FCC needs to reclassify "broadband" as a "telecommunications service" if it wants to have authority tointervene. Essentially if an individual or business says or posts something online an ISP will be able to limit their traffic by blocking or slowing the speed of the site. For example, say one of the National news stations post an article on their website or would make a comment on live TV, the broadband carrier could potentially limit their available website speed and make it hard for viewers and people trying to access the website. It could be painfully slow and intolerable compared to normal load speeds. Thus driving away the traffic to the site. Think about this for a moment. Since January 14, 2015, an ISP can monitor everything you do and say online without legal restraint. Have you read my "Verizon Perma-cookie" post? This spells trouble for privacy and in these times, your identity is always under attack. In the security world, you are only as strong as your weakest link, and without "net neutrality/neutral open Internet, free of censorship and discrimination", we are asking to have our information tailored to the direction the large companies and governments that want us to not see the real picture. We run the risk of losing a freedom, a freedom for which so many men and women so valiantly fight, a freedom that allows us as a people to openly express our dreams and opinions. It could be for something as simple as an executive at an ISP could disagree with your choice of speech or written words and the ISP would be able to punish an individual or business because they don't agree or it hurts the ISP's business. So now it is our turn, because If we do not fight, the Internet as we know it today could be gone forever. Do not let them infringe on your 1st amendment rights! Exercise those rights and speak out on Facebook, Google+, Twitter. Call your congressman's local office or the District of Columbia's switchboard. File a comment on the FCC website (proceeding number 14-28). Sign a petition, or here, or here. Let your voice be heard and tell them, keep my Internet open and free from censorship!References:[1]http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech_by_country#cite_note-35 -Philippines[2]http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/a_to_c/communications_offences/#an11 -UK[3]http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/12/02/iran-death-sentence-facebook-posts -Iran
