Although the decision was made a couple of months ago. The talk of net neutrality and how it will affect users and businesses have gone quiet.
This doesn’t mean things are as they were before, and anyone who thinks this is very much mistaken.
Large ISP’s will be keeping a very close eye on the landscape because they have been given a sort of free reign.
When there is a chance for them to manipulate the internet to their benefit, it will open up a floodgate of changes which is sure to hit the net.
What’s the worst case scenario?
There’s no doubt about it. The ISP’s have monopolistic freedom now to do as they wish. The internet as we know it could take a sever change for the worst.
Any service or company an ISP wishes to restrict can be done with the flick of a switch. One way out an example if Facebook. If an ISP to a dislike to this or even wanted to create their own.
Charges for bandwidth could be imposed on Facebook. This wouldn’t take long to turn a free service into a subscription service.
What Can be done?
At a base level, we have a blockchain internet in effect. This is a start to decentralize the internet and provide some protection against the large ISP’s. There are also many cryptocurrencies which work on a peer-to-peer internet methodology. With this, all communication is relayed directly between two parties.
This still holds a problem as ISP’s can see where traffic is coming from. There have been community internet providers who have sprung up and help with data being routed without accessing an ISP’s data center. As good as these options are, they don’t go far enough to make sure that what should be free remains free.
How to Decentralize the Web
This worry of the ISP’s dominance might show itself first in the USA. Here they have so much control they could theoretically block anyone else from accessing networks inside their borders.
If this happened, it would be a travesty, and the best way any user can make sure this never happens is by having a decentralized web. There are two cryptocurrencies which offer a lot and in a way are fighting against any ISP that wishes to try and control the internet.
Maidsafe
This network focuses on privacy. Much of this is down to the new algorithm they have introduced. The coin on the Maidsafe network is Safecoinand is not mined like with Bitcoin. This network is very sophisticated and fully decentralized with the sole intention of anonymizing data transfers.
Once this happens, the ISP’s can no longer build up a profile of your surfing habits and pass them on to anyone who asks for them (the government).
This network takes the best of Bitcoin and the Blockchain and builds on it. For end users and businesses who are concerned of a big brother watching over them, it is a welcome first step.
Skycoin and Skywire
If it was possible to take the concept of the community based ISP’s and make sure that your data remained safe and secure with no one being able to look over your shoulder.
Add into this all of your communications were P2P and lightning fast. That could be something which would raise a lot of interest.
It just so happens, one of the most promising cryptocurrencies this year is aiming to do precisely that. If users want a fully decentralized internet, the best way to achieve this is to build a new one. Skywire has the answer.
Dedicated nodes are linked together, these pass bandwidth rather than mining for coins. Asa result, transactions are much faster, highly secure (P2P in operation) and they are free.
It is the job of the interconnected nodes on the mesh-network to provide access to a network that has no need for an ISP, the user themselves becomes an ISP.
Skycoin is the coin which funds the mesh-net and gives it value. The way the network works is the transactions are made by a web of trust and are authorized in seconds.
Any user can use these for everyday purchases once the mesh-network begins to increase in size.
ISP’s have no monopoly with the mesh-network that Skywire and SKY offer. Both of the mentioned coins provide a lot to make sure users can enjoy the internet as it should be appreciated.
It should be free,and it should be a place anyone can shares their stories with the rest of the world in a way they see fit.
