Net neutrality and internet freedom are hot points of discussion at the moment with the FCC planning to let Internet service providers charge content companies for priority treatment, relegating other content to a slower tier of service in the States and the data retention scheme where telecommunications companies collect and keep Australians’ metadata from their internet browsing for two years to ‘stop terrorism’.
“We are creating a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity.”
Barlow, J.P. (1996) A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace
If these plans commence our cyberspace independence will be compromised. No longer will we be able to express our beliefs without fear as Barlow wanted. No longer “will all nodes be equal” as big businesses will be able to provide their services at faster rate than your little start-up.
But fear not ideas spread like wildfire on this internet we know and love and Australians have already began trying to circumvent data retention via VPN and 1.1 million have told the FCC their thoughts on net neutrality showing how important an issue internet freedom really is.
As with the Australia’s failed internet filter governments are trying to are trying to control and regulate something which they do not truly understand.
Brendan Vs The World 
Hi there, I really liked your use of Barlow’s quote to propel your point. It’s also great to see how many people are involved in making sure we retain our internet freedom, great use of links! It would have been great to have seen a bit more detail about the FCC’s plans and resistance towards them, or why net neutrality is so important.
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You included a lot of good information in your post by including links and a video, all of which is reflective of the this week’s topic, but I think you neglected to reflect on its importance and give it a strong link back to the topic. Using Barlow’s quote to support your point was useful and it is relevant, but it feels a bit left out as you didn’t explain it’s importance to your point. However, a good use of extra sources in your blog 🙂
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While many people may not be aware of these issues, they will inevitably affect all Internet users. I liked the fact that you included various strategies that are in motion to stop the FCC’s plans. It would be great if you get a chance to expand on net neutrality in future blog posts as I feel there is so much more to explore on the topic. Great Job!
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You touched on some good points here but I agree that you could have dug a little deeper and put in a bit more work to ensure your arguments, quotes and references meshed together a bit more to form one strong, cohesive argument. It’s also a little short. I think you could have gone on for at least another 100 words or so. This would have probably helped gel everything together a bit more.
It’s a good, up-to-date topic to use though and you chose a good video to embed (John Oliver is a good primer for any issues he covers). But I’m not sure it’s advisable to assume that people will watch that 13 minute video just for the purposes of understanding your arguments. Not everyone will read this post knowing what net neutrality and metadata is and why its retention is concerning, and as the writer it’s your responsibility to inform these people.
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Hiya!
I’m going to disagree with those who said you didn’t expand on the topic enough. Punchy and interesting reads are also as effective as long and detailed entries. I think your post stood out for me this week. I liked your reflection on the current Australian metadata debate. It brings this week’s topic into context for me. The lecture was long and detailed, and my blog post is a reflection of that! So a nice and well integrated post like this was a refreshing read. Keep up the nice research.
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Great post, I like how you’ve tied the weekly content to the FCC. I think it was also good how you mentioned the proactive nature of internet users and how powerful it is. Lots of good sources, I would have enjoyed to hear why you think the Australian government does not truly understand the internet. Thanks!
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I like your comedic title, although i did expect to see more cats. Your lolcat speak was a little misleading.
You’re separation of the quote made it easier to read and maintained the flow of your argument. The points you raised in relation to the issue were alarming and definitely left me questioning the problems.
I would have liked to hear more of your opinion on the matter but the links and the video were excellent compensations. The video was a solid choice and made the issue digestible.
All in all it was a good read and will definitely be looking into this more
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Nice writing style, this is definitely a big topic of discussion at the moment. The FCC’s bold effort to stop terrorism is a questionable method indeed. I would argue that internet freedom is and always should be accepted. if the government truly wishes to filter such a massive amount of rich data, it’s my opinion that it would do more harm than good. I also enjoyed the video just as much as the read, John Oliver makes everything better.
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Hi Brendan, first of all your blog is very well presented, and I love the Zero Wing title reference. This post is very interactive and it was a pleasure to read. The quote from the reading works well with your argument, and especially your “No longer will all nodes be equal” reference, it really puts the debate into perspective, great work.
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