The Internet is Being Beat Down

The evolution of the Internet will seem to be impacted by recent events.

The European Court of Justice ruled against Google yesterday with its "Right to be forgotten" ruling. This will allow individuals in Europe to request to have links about them removed from Google searches. This is censorship. There is no doubt about it. Keep in mind that Google doesn't even own the content but only solely provides a path to the content. The actually content will not be deleted so anyone that is really searching for information will probably find it eventually.

And who will determine if the link to the content is "irrelevant or outdated"? Is it Google's responsibility to be a judge of that? This ruling will not only affect Google but everyone that publishes anything on the Internet including all social networks. While privacy is extremely important, this may lead to decreased transparency on significant aspects (e.g. criminal background) that do matter.

So what should be done about information that is irrelevant or outdated? Nothing. That's how life operates. You cannot just go to a higher power and ask for parts of your life to be forgotten in the real world; that would be extremely scary if that were to be the case (imagine if books/newspapers/films were forced to be discarded forever by law because someone in them wanted them to be removed). And if it's libel, you can use the legal system to defend yourself.

The other recent decision made that could possibly change the future of the Internet is the U.S. FCC's proposed "net neutrality" rules. These rules would allow ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to prioritize content providers speeds. This means ISPs may be able to charge content providers (e.g. Facebook, Netflix) more in order to get their content to their customers faster. As a result, customers may be forced to pay more for content. But more importantly, content providers that can't pay ISPs to be part of the "fast line" will be hurt.

So if you want a more free and open Internet, be proactive/vocal (you could even email your state representatives).