The Challenges of Net Neutrality

Abstract

By treating all sorts of content and applications in a neutral, identical way, the internet has become the most efficient and most democratic communication platform ever. Allegedly in order to avoid congestion and to support the development of new services, network operators have begun to prioritize a favored share of digital traffic, thereby blocking or slowing down the rest of the information that circulates over the internet. The principle of net neutrality has been proposed as a reaction against such discriminatory treatment. Its exact scope is still being intensely debated, as is the effectiveness of its protection.

Keywords: Internet neutrality, Freedom of Speech, Transparency, Discrimination, Regulation