Network neutrality is the view that all traffic on the internet should be “treated equally”. That means that access to all websites, web content and other internet platforms is the same for all internet users and only restricted by their hardware or software capabilities (i.e. connection speeds).
It’s a bit like having a subscription to satellite/cable television and having the same services regardless of which company you subscribe to.
The internet is the most open medium in existence and a major technological and social breakthrough – although I don’t think it’s correct to say it’s completely unrestricted. Companies can come out of nowhere and become major players in their field. It can be a force for political change and it’s an important weapon in the fight against corruption and in local and global campaigns for greater transparency.
Of course the internet has its darker side. The so-called “deep web”, however, isn’t something 99.9% of people know about, let alone access regularly (it requires certain software and proxies). Most of the extreme pornography, hacking and copyright infringement will start off there with a little of it making it’s way up into the visible “surface web”.
