Alert! The Internet. Loss of neutrality?

Google is headed in a direction which ought to be of concern to anyone who uses the internet.

The Independent reports in "Has the internet just sold its soul?":

"Google stood accused last night of betraying the founding principles of the internet, as it readied a deal that will abandon key parts of its support for "net neutrality", which has guaranteed equal access to the worldwide web since its inception.

In what one internet freedom campaigner called a "doomsday scenario" that will change the internet forever, the search engine pioneer is close to agreeing terms with the largest telecoms company in the US that would open the door to special "fast lanes" for favoured internet traffic.

The bilateral agreement between Google and Verizon raises the spectre of big media corporations carving up the internet between them, and side-steps the Obama administration's attempts to ensure that all internet traffic is treated the same, regardless of whether it comes from the smallest blogger or the largest online video site."

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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