Don't be evil - stand up for the free and open Internet

[nabraxas]

BREAKING UPDATE (Mon, Aug 9, 1:35pm): Google just proposed new rules that allow for discrimination on the wireless Internet -- killing Net Neutrality and the Internet as we know it.

We can't let big corporations take control of the Internet. Join 300,000 others in signing our letter to Google pressuring them to back out of this deal and keep the Internet a level playing field for all.

http://act.boldprogressives.org/cms/sign/google_evil/?source=huff1

google's public policy

[Magicdirt]

Signed

Bastards!

[fydesvindico]

DONE! google can suck a fat one

[Rabaelthazar]

I don't get it.

Google seem to be against discrimination.

From Google's public blog:

Second, we agree that in addition to these existing principles there should be a new, enforceable prohibition against discriminatory practices. This means that for the first time, wireline broadband providers would not be able to discriminate against or prioritize lawful Internet content, applications or services in a way that causes harm to users or competition.

 

The petition is claiming that Google is proposing

new rules that allow for discrimination on the Internet -- killing Net Neutrality and the Internet as we know it.

 

Did Google change their public blog after you posted this, were the people who created the petition confused, or have I just missed the point entirely?

[Zen Peddler]

I thought this would be about the internet filter.

[ThunderIdeal]

read the comments rather than the rest of the text

i'm not sure if this has any direct impact outside of the USA.

[nabraxas]

i'm not sure if this has any direct impact outside of the USA.

For those of us on the outside of the US we could find ourselves as permanant second class citizens of the web. With things we take for granted such as blogs and the ability to access the US market with the net being automatically assigned to the slow lane. Further what impact will this have on call centres and data intensive offshore businesses that currently use Voice Over IP technology (VOIP)? The demise of Net Neutrality will negate the “death of distance” that has opened many developmental opportunities in the developing world. This is one case where what happens in the US DOES directly affect us on the margins of the globalised world.

Even if it wouldn't effect us in the slightest, i would still sign the petition on the basis that

if you ignore human rights in the rest of the world you might as well loose your own

[nabraxas]

How the Google/Verizon proposal could kill the internet in 5 years

Googlezon is redefining the internet as a tiered service, like cable. And this new thing called the public internet is the lowest tier. Kind of like network television is the lowest tier in your television service options. From here on out, you will start to see the internet equivalent of cable service online: For an extra ten dollars, you can get the "movie lovers" package, where your ISP privileges Netflix and Hulu traffic, giving them to you super-fast. For another ten dollars, you can get the "concerned parent" package, which blocks peer-to-peer traffic as well as websites that they consider to be pornographic. And so on....

In five years, the public internet is going to look boring and obsolete. Where's the 3D? Where are all the cool games and streaming viddies? The public internet? Yeah, that's just for poor people...Googlezon will be a gatekeeper not just for new web services but also for content. The companies can choose to support services from any small business they like, and block others. Same goes for sites providing news or entertainment. Googlezon might make an agreement with the New York Times to load its pages faster than the Washington Post. And Googlezon might not load io9 at all, unless of course you're reading this blog via the Google Reader (as part of the "special service" package called "blogs and podcasts").

Googlezon could even strike a bargain with democratic political candidates to carry only their websites and block others. They could justify this by saying that people who want to get political information from conservatives can switch to another network that doesn't block them - or they can subscribe to the special "conservative service" package..... the Googlezon agreement means that if you access the internet via your Android phone (or other mobile device), there will be no public internet at all. Your access to the web will be determined by your carrier, who may or may not offer special services - and who may decide to block any content it likes.

Googlezon proposes that every carrier or ISP will have to be transparent about what services it's privileging or blocking. But that doesn't mean these companies won't obfuscate their policies behind legalese. And even if your ISP honestly says, "We are blocking all websites run by Republicans," you may be locked into a three-year contract with them already.

the full article:

http://io9.com/5610328/how-the-googleverizon-proposal-could-kill-the-internet-in-5-years/