Assignment 4 Net Neutrality

Pros
- freedom on the web
- Non-discriminatory access to the web
- provides a competitive market place
- provides protection and freedoms for groundbreaking internet ideas

Cons
- Tiered Access could make for a better internet
- censors internet browsing
- limits markets
- too much legislation

Net neutrality has come across today as a very talked about topic. Many people for net neutrality believe that it is beneficial for the public. They believe that knowledge is power and that net neutrality allows for people to gain knowledge. By having net neutrality people are able to view sites freely and activists feel this is beneficial for the public. If we do not have net neutrality then people believe that we will lose knowledge that should be gained by the public.

Recently in the news the court struck down the FCC's net neutrality rules. The FCC made an attempt to initiate net neutrality rules which would provide for the future of the internet. The proposal was shut down by a 2 to 1 vote and left the FCC still fighting to incorporate net neutrality.The court ruled against the net neutrality rules as they believed that "the commission failed to establish the anti discrimination and anti blocking rules".

Net neutrality is tied to the topic of freedom of speech because if we do not have net neutrality then a lot of things can be censored or taken away. People believe that this is against the first amendment and takes away our right of freedom of speech. Many people believe that they should be able to post freely without any punishment or restrictions. Net neutrality allows everyone to post freely and express their thoughts and opinions through the internet which is an example of freedom of speech and the first amendment.

Recent news about net neutrality does not affect my position today. I still firmly stand with my opinion that we should not fix the internet as it runs fine today. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and today the internet has its certain complications but for the most part runs quickly and efficient. I believe that the government does an efficient job with monitoring the internet and keeps in tact our right to freedom of speech. There are certain circumstances where the government needs to step in and act on problems in the internet but I feel they do a solid job on that part.

My stand on net neutrality goes back and forth. I do believe that we are entitled to freedom of speech and the ability to post and share what we want but there are also boundaries. I do believe that sometimes people over step their boundaries on the internet and cross the lines of fair freedom of speech. Some people post things that should not be shared with the public and I believe that is when the government should step in. For the most part I believe that everyone should be able to post freely but in certain scenarios the government needs to step in.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/20/5530898/netflix-blasts-comcast-and-verizon-on-net-neutrality-some-big-isps
This is a valid site as it provides the reader with solid information about recent news with net neutrality and links to other known sources making it valid and verifiable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/business/media/netflix-chief-alters-view-on-net-deal.html?_r=0
This website is valid and verifiable because the new york times is a known and trustworthy source.

Social Media and Privacy

Today social media has become a huge part of our everyday lives. Social media has brought about great opportunities and allows for people to interact and stay in contact with people they may have never spoken to again. Social media can also be detrimental to some people if they are not smart about what they post. If people post the wrong things they could lose out on a lot of opportunities that could be offered in their life time. Also when social media is used in the wrong way it can be used as a form of bullying and leads to high depression and suicide rates. Tyler Clementi, of Rutgers University served as a victim of social media bullying when a tape of him and his boyfriend went viral. Tyler later committed suicide and showed an example of the poor benefits of social media.

I Have Nothing to Hide

Today many people say that they have nothing to hide when they post things on the internet. This is an ignorant statement as when they think they are protected they are actually not. When people believe that by clicking the privacy tab they are protecting everything they post on the internet they are actually at risk. Anything anyone posts on the internet will and can be found by somebody somewhere. Many people post things online on social media and don't realize the risk they are putting themselves at. When many people today apply for jobs the people go through their social media to make sure they would be a secure and reliable worker. People may think their posts are private on their social media but in reality anyone can view. In that case many people could lose out on the job opportunity and put themselves at risk when they don't even realize it.

Against many other people I believe that these privacy policies are beneficial for our country. Many people out there are planning to do poor things to our country and we are at risk of a terrorist attack at any time. By having these privacy policies it allows for our government to protect the people and make a our country a safe and secure place. Many people believe that these policies are an invasion to our privacy but it is in our best benefit to allow for the best protection we can.

Today's Generation and Technology

Today's Generation and Technology
In today's generation we see a large connection between the younger generation and technology. Everyone in the younger generation is completely addicted to technology and relies on it for every day activities. If someone lost their computer or phone they feel as though they can not function throughout the day. Yes, technology is good for our society and has been beneficial in many instances but at times it has brought down our society. The technology today allows for people to hide behind their phones or computer and they lose or never even gain social skills. Our world today has lost social skills through the impact of technology and it is detrimental to the future. Technology has been very impactful on our society but in some instances we see a poor impact on the rest of society.