Presentation Slides

The current boundaries of the Internet
Slides have been summarized and transferred to my Blog for discussion.
Bolded texts are direct quotations from sources.

Topics Covered:

• is the internet truly free
• corporate takeovers
• free speech

Is the internet truly free? Perhaps...
"The internet has become what it is because its what the people who use the internet want it to be. There was, for instance, no governing authority who handed down a rule that there should be weblogs. Users wanted a way to express themselves in whatever way and on whatever topic they chose, so the "Blogosphere" came into being. The internet as it exists was not drawn up as a master plan - it evolved. "

However..
Consider the question : "Is it free"?
Anyone who uses the internet pays a fee to their Internet Service Provider (ISP). However what about free speech? Can you say, read, go, copy whatever you want? Are we free?

The answer lies somewhere in between.
Like any service, we are told how much we can and cannot use. Our speeds are capped. Additionally our activity is monitored and tracked. One could call this a very limited freedom:

When talking about internet freedom, we should consider net neutrality.
Fundamentally, net neutrality is about equal access to the Internet.

"Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet. The Internet has operated according to this neutrality principle since its earliest days".

Net neutrality has allowed many companies to grow and become successful. However it is a well known fact that many internet carriers are willing to commercialize the net by forcing people to use certain sites and services by limiting / restricting everything else.

"Many internet activists believe broadband carriers should not be permitted to use their market power to discriminate against competing applications or content. Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online."

There are many videos explaining Net Neutrality, here is a useful one:




Corporate Takeovers:
One could also argue that we are not free on the internet because we need to subscribe and/or pay additional fees to access more features on the websites we use.

Consider corporate takeovers.
If say the company Google buys the rights to Youtube.com, then we could see a change in the kinds of features we can use, the kinds of ads we see and so forth..
Oh wait. that already happened.

What about when Facebook decided to change their terms of service? People had become concerned over what they were free to delete, and what would remain and be used for corporate gain.

Lets examine and discuss the following link:
"We Can Do Anything We Want With Your Content. Forever."

Also, this video sums up the controversy nicely in under 4 mins.


Moving on, lets consider who controls the internet.

Internet Control:
The current system through which Internet standards are set and domain names are handled, a process currently dominated by the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. the richest and most technologically advanced countries have an advantage in managing the technology standards of the internet than those less advanced.
UN Internet Takeover

Can it truly be free to all if Internet standards are dominated by just a few countries?
END PRESENTATION WITH 20 MINS OF DISCUSSION