{"id":1508,"date":"2021-08-27T02:23:45","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T02:23:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cleanerone.trendmicro.com\/blog\/?p=1508"},"modified":"2022-01-12T02:54:42","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T02:54:42","slug":"end-of-net-neutrality-vpn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cleanerone.trendmicro.com\/blog\/end-of-net-neutrality-vpn\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Net Neutrality? And Why You Need a VPN!"},"content":{"rendered":"
What is net neutrality?<\/h2>\n
The term net neutrality was first put forward in 2003 by law professor Tim Wu. He advocated anti-discrimination rules for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who should treat all internet traffic flowing through their cables equally. He argued that ISPs shouldn\u2019t give preferential treatment to companies paying extra fees or limit anybody\u2019s access to any content.<\/p>\n
Net neutrality aims to create a non-discriminatory internet environment. In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed a net neutrality order to keep the internet open and free. However, when the new FCC chairman Ajit Pai took office, he reversed the net neutrality order in 2018.<\/p>\n
In October 2019, the Federal Court decided that the FCC has no right to ban net neutrality laws passed by individual states, but the FCC could classify ISPs into \u201ccommon carriers\u201d as they see fit. When ISPs are classified into \u201ccommon carriers\u201d, it means that net neutrality orders could come into effect again. Back in February this year, California was granted the right to bring in its own legislation regarding the net neutrality issue.<\/p>\n
We can see that over the past few years, net neutrality has constantly been a topic of public concern. Why is it so important? And why do people support or oppose it?<\/p>\n
Main pros of net neutrality<\/h2>\n
1. Freedom of expression<\/h3>\n
Under net neutrality, ISPs can\u2019t block users\u2019 access to any legal content on the internet. If they did have the power to do this, they could prevent you from accessing something they don\u2019t want you to see, such as a site that competes with their interests.<\/p>\n
2. Fair competition<\/h3>\n
Without net neutrality, ISPs could charge fees for putting websites into the \u201cfast lane\u201d \u2013 ensuring they load quickly and are seen by more people. Smaller companies would lag behind the bigger ones if they couldn\u2019t afford the fee.<\/p>\n
3. Equal access<\/h3>\n
Net neutrality ensures that ISPs can\u2019t charge end users a fee for using important services, like email or online banking. Otherwise, it might take several minutes to open an email if you don\u2019t pay the extra fee. With net neutrality, you can access any content at the same speed.<\/p>\n
4. Privacy<\/h3>\n
Without net neutrality, ISPs could monitor users’ online activity because people would need to get their approval before they could access blocked content.<\/p>\n
Main cons of net neutrality<\/h2>\n
1. Objectionable content<\/h3>\n
ISPs believe that net neutrality helps the spread of objectionable content, such as fake news and rumors. Besides, it can be argued that children are more likely to access age-sensitive content under net neutrality.<\/p>\n
2. Service innovation<\/h3>\n
ISPs say that video apps and websites like YouTube and Netflix take up a lot of resources and place a great demand on bandwidth. So, ISPs believe that the companies behind those websites should be charged to ensure that networks can be upgraded to provide better service.<\/p>\n
![\"download](\"https:\/\/cleanerone.trendmicro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/webp-express\/webp-images\/doc-root\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/2560px-Download_on_the_App_Store_Badge.svg_-300x89.png.webp\"){kind=icon}
<\/picture><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"