Print Page - Net Neutrality

Omnimaga => News => Topic started by: Juju on September 10, 2014, 04:12:05 pm

Title: Net Neutrality
Post by: Juju on September 10, 2014, 04:12:05 pm

(https://www.battleforthenet.com/images/change_avatar/avatar-black.gif)

We at Omnimaga are for a free and open Internet. So it is natural for us to support the Net Neutrality movement fighting against the American FCC, big ISPs and their concept of fast lanes which would make big companies' websites go fast while slowing down everyone else, including our beloved Omnimaga.

We enabled the appropriate script for the day, it's a popup that lets you sign the petition and gives you more info on this. We encourage you to sign the petition, call your representative and spread the word!

Also a note for you non-Americans, you might think you are not concerned, but many of you have a website or a blog, and fast lanes would affect your American visitors... Omnimaga may be Canadian, but we still have this at heart.

Here's a few links fore more info:
https://www.battleforthenet.com/
http://tumblr.fightforthefuture.org/post/96647721693/the-internet-slowdown-is-coming-and-its-going-to-be
http://vimeo.com/105741162
https://www.battleforthenet.com/sept10th/
https://www.netneutrality.com/

Thank you and may Omnimaga live forever free!

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Keoni29 on September 10, 2014, 04:46:55 pm

Yep this vid is epic O.O
[ Invalid YouTube link ]
Good thing I don't live in the states. I am going to check what the cable companies here in the Netherlands are up to though.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on September 10, 2014, 05:25:36 pm

The issue is that it might not always remain just an USA and UK problem, because perhaps in the future the same thing will happen to other countries, if not already.

On the other hand, the fact this petition requires people to enter their home address and zip code is enough for people to not sign it. Some people who support this movement might still wish to keep their personal info private.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Juju on September 10, 2014, 05:58:08 pm

I usually put a bogus zip code, DJ. It's enough to put a hometown on a name, but since it's an US law we're talking about which only concerns Americans they don't really think of international users and/or they're not allowed to make other people sign it. They probably should as as I told it also affects international website owners, by extension, as was the SOPA and everything else of that ilk.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Princetonlion.tibd on September 10, 2014, 06:19:56 pm

Oh, it was a script. I thought it was a virus and screenshotted it to show you guys :P
then I saw this

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Eeems on September 10, 2014, 06:23:59 pm

DJ: petitions are not suppose to be private. You are publicly showing support for something.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Sorunome on September 10, 2014, 06:41:40 pm

Quote from: Keoni29 on September 10, 2014, 04:46:55 pm

Yep this vid is epic O.O
[ Invalid YouTube link ]
Good thing I don't live in the states. I am going to check what the cable companies here in the Netherlands are up to though.

Yup, this is pretty epic

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: TIfanx1999 on September 10, 2014, 06:51:55 pm

This script is actually pretty damn annoying. I thought I had some addware on my PC. Nice to know that isn't the case.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Sorunome on September 10, 2014, 06:52:31 pm

Quote from: Art_of_camelot on September 10, 2014, 06:51:55 pm

This script is actually pretty damn annoying. I thought I had some addware on my PC. Nice to know that isn't the case.

It's supposed to be annyoing ;)

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on September 10, 2014, 11:11:24 pm

Quote from: Eeems on September 10, 2014, 06:23:59 pm

DJ: petitions are not suppose to be private. You are publicly showing support for something.

I know, but it's the first time I sign an online one where I have to enter my home address. Some people or their parents tend to be paranoid about internet safety issues involving posting your personal info online so this might scare them away and thus, result in fewer signatures. I actually don't mind filling all the info for this particular petition, but I know that some people wouldn't do it (eg my mom).

There is also the issue that the NSA or worse, some Chinese/Russian spies/hackers might be currently harvesting home addresses from this petition :P

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Juju on September 11, 2014, 01:23:02 am

I don't think the contents of the petition are public.

Also seems they accepted my Canadian postcode o.o

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: aeTIos on September 11, 2014, 05:11:30 am

Wait, fast lanes are actually gonna be a thing?
/me shivers

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Streetwalrus on September 11, 2014, 11:51:37 am

Dangit, big companies are at it again. x.x

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Jim Bauwens on September 11, 2014, 03:58:19 pm

I am against ISP's throttling data for unfair reasons, but I think that they should have the ability to route, create fast lanes and even throttle data. Many times this is necessary to provide good service to all customers. Personally I also think that people who pay more have right on more bandwidth.

But as always, any tool can be used for evil. ISP's can use it for evil, there have been cases where it has been done, but mainly they need it to provide a good service. Just as a knife can be used to kill someone, it can be used to chop food.

My personal opinion is that net neutrality is not the solution to the problem.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on September 11, 2014, 05:06:39 pm

Quote from: Jim Bauwens on September 11, 2014, 03:58:19 pm

I am against ISP's throttling data for unfair reasons, but I think that they should have the ability to route, create fast lanes and even throttle data. Many times this is necessary to provide good service to all customers. Personally I also think that people who pay more have right on more bandwidth.

But as always, any tool can be used for evil. ISP's can use it for evil, there have been cases where it has been done, but mainly they need it to provide a good service. Just as a knife can be used to kill someone, it can be used to chop food.

My personal opinion is that net neutrality is not the solution to the problem.

They should perhaps only throttle people who have no bandwidth cap but are abusing it, just so that other customers have good service no matter if someone else abuses it. They could probably also throttle websites that contains mostly torrent files or ones that have a poor safety record, but then you risk throttling a legit site with absolutely zero copyrighted material.

It shouldn't be used to restrict one's freedom of information or at the advantage of big coprporate companies that want more exposure. Besides, most big companies use horrible quality servers that are down 10% of the time so even if they had a fast lane it wouldn't help people accessing their site any more than others anyway.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Juju on September 11, 2014, 05:08:55 pm

This. More monies to ISPs, pretty much.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Jim Bauwens on September 11, 2014, 05:22:18 pm

Exactly, they shouldn't restrict the freedom at all. But net neutrality is not the solution to this, but rather laws should be set up that restrict throttling in certain cases.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on September 11, 2014, 05:25:19 pm

Indeed. But then very wealthy companies can easily corrupt some governments who are in for extra money. >.<

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Jim Bauwens on September 11, 2014, 05:32:36 pm

People that are corrupt will always find a way to do what they want. Many times rules are then set up to restrict these corrupt people, but mostly they bring more harm to others and the corrupt guys find a way around.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Eeems on September 12, 2014, 12:54:34 pm

Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on September 11, 2014, 05:06:39 pm

Besides, most big companies use horrible quality servers that are down 10% of the time so even if they had a fast lane it wouldn't help people accessing their site any more than others anyway.

Erm, what companies are you talking about? Most big companies I know of don't have a 10% downtime.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on September 13, 2014, 02:33:57 am

Quebecor/Sun Media and Bell are big examples, at least in Quebec. As of 2014 NHL playoffs, everytime the Montreal Canadiens play a game, the TVA Sports/JdQ/Canoe websites slows down to a crawl (about 1 minute loading, if it loads at all), especially near the playoffs. I hope that they fixed it for the 2014-15 season because they got the NHL rights for 12 years now, meaning even more traffic. RDS website (the French version of TSN) has similar problems, but mostly with their video section, which goes unreachable until hours after the hockey game ended unless it's early in the season.

The Videotron (Cable TV/ISP) used to be as bad as the rest of the Canoe/TVA website network but this was fixed around 2011 I think. It was kinda ironic that an ISP's official website was that hard to reach, when it was actually reachable at all. However, half of the automated customer service sections are closed outside those hours for maintenance:

Spoiler For Spoiler:

Imagine if Google Hangout was closed from 11 PM to 7 PM everynight for maintenance.

Reverbnation is another example, although it has about 1% downtime. It's just that the site is atrociously slow half of the time.

Title: Re: Net Neutrality
Post by: Juju on September 13, 2014, 03:53:42 pm

Well at least websites are not closing down outside office hours (except when they need maintainance and actions that involves a customer actually talking to an employee, although for the former some companies are willing to stay really late at work, and for the later outsourcing to India or any country where it's day when it's night here might help).