Internet freedom is surely under stated, considering the extent of communications and the amount of data shared and transmitted. Among the billions of daily data bits transmitted among users, unfortunately there are abuses. Internet freedom is taken for granted by millions of users that resort to the Internet for less than beneficial reasons. Online fraud, false advertising, and defamation are three examples that dog so many people. The extreme effort to dox someone for purposes of business competition or just sheer humiliation is also a major concern. Outside of the social metric, Internet freedom is as well seen by governments as a threat to their own stability. Governments are seeking to control use and access to the Internet. Groups of any kind can organize quickly for a cause or an event before governments can respond. By the effect of certain Internet uses, the Iternet has become a weapon, unfortunately. So, as governments know that, they resort, for their own stability and for broader social well being, to ways to control the Internet and govern it. As such, Internet freedom is considered a means for social and political freedom. After all, the Internet has changed society and how we all live. Internet freedom has brought changes to customs and behavior. The expectation of some, is to also use the Internet to shape society and how society thinks, shops, travels, and ultimately votes.
The concept of makling the Internet more accessible is a noble idea, conceptually. Net Neutrality was brought on as a way to open access for users, large and small, to the Internet. While many see it as a blessing many see it as the next step for government txaxation and control. There are hidden dangers on how the Internet can be controlled; hence, society being controlled by the limitations on the information that is allowed to be transmitted. The freedom that this article nrings to light is the open forum sense of speech, that when platforms seek to silence voices, they, in turn, are acting as governments. And if social platforms resort to protections under the Communications Decency Act, but, all the while, exert their technical efforts to determine what they find as objectional, i.e., political speech, social views, veracity of news, etc., they could be waiving their own claimed protection under the CDA.
Net Neutrality rules have been challenged and have been rolled back by the current administration. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court has denied allowing the 2017 appeal to examine net neutrality rules. By this denial, now, the rules that were set in 2016 and were placed on hold in 2017 remain in effect, the high Court’s denial leaves in place the lower court’s decision that found that the FCC acted legally. It is not a stretch of the imagination to envision a world where the Internet is regulated globally. This is a realistic possibility. Governments want control of the Internet. So long as governments allow carriers to segment service, the contractual rights of users remain. But with a leverage to break down that broadband load for service depending on customer and service to be provided, central control on a global scale is realistically forthcoming. Then, would Internet freedom exist? The users will utlitmately be the judge of that.
Internet freedom has benefits and drawbacks. Years from now, users will be the judge on the level of their freedom on the Internet. Users will also judge if their means for freedom of expression, freedom of participation, and freedom of association via the Internet is diminished. With the expansion of mobility and mobile communications and mobile transactions, there will be greater effort to control mobile carriers and what they allow. As of now, way too many users are appalled of how their private information is accesed and made public via the Internet, as databases are sold to third-parties. Overall, the Internet is here to stay whether we appreciate its benefits and are concerned for its uses and abuses. Society will continue to change as will the Internet, into the future, but it may not be the internet as we knew it.
Lorenzo Law Firm, P.A. copyright 2018