Net Neutrality is most commonly also referred as Network Neutrality is based on the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally and no discrimination or differences should be made. Internet traffic most commonly includes emails, digital audios, files, digital videos etc. According to the person who has invented net neutrality Tim Wu the best way to explain net neutrality is that a public information system will end up being most useful if all the content websites and platforms are treated equally to each other only by treating all the data equally we will be able to improve the public information system or we can make public information system even better
Now a question arises in our mind. What will happen if the net neutrality is not there or What are the consequences of lack of net neutrality. Due to lack of net neutrality, the internet would not be able to function the way we want it or the way we want to make it function as a result of it internet service providers will be able to charge companies like youtube or net fix because they consume more bandwidth.ISP can also charge free calls you make using services like WhatsApp, skype, and others
To put it in simple terms if there is no net neutrality the internet would not be able to function we have known it too. Net Neutrality is extremely important for small business owners, startups, and entrepreneurs, who can simply launch their businesses online, advertise the products and sell them openly, without any discrimination. It is essential for innovation and creating job opportunities. Big companies like Google, Twitter, and several others are born out of net neutrality. With increasing Internet penetration in India and given that we are becoming a breeding ground for startups and entrepreneurs, the lack of net neutrality should worry us greatly. Besides, it is very important for freedom of speech, so that one can voice their opinion without the fear of being blocked or banned. Taking the recent events into account, its time net neutrality is imposed in India too.
Since the past couple of years, the instances of Internet censorship in India have increased manifold. In 2011, India adopted the new ‘IT Rules 2011’ that supplemented the IT Act 2000. These rules made it mandatory for Internet intermediaries to remove objectionable content within 36 hours of receiving a complaint. But the terms included were vague and open to interpretations. These rules received sharp criticism, but they have prevailed. In 2011, the government also drew flak as it asked major sites like Google, Facebook and Yahoo to ‘pre-screen’ content and remove any objectionable, defamatory content from going live.