A student-run group at NALSAR University of Law
SERIES INTRODUCTION
Rebecca MacKinnon’s “Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom” is an interesting read on free speech, on the internet, in the context of a world where corporations are challenging the sovereignty of governments. Having read the book, I will be familiarizing readers with some of the themes and ideas discussed in MacKinnon’s work.
SERIES INTRODUCTION
Rebecca MacKinnon’s “Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom” is an interesting read on free speech, on the internet, in the context of a world where corporations are challenging the sovereignty of governments. Having read the book, I will be familiarizing readers with some of the themes and ideas discussed in MacKinnon’s work.
SERIES INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
In the 2016 Indo-US dispute pertaining to Indian schemes relating to solar cells and solar modules (WT/DS456/AB/R), the WTO Appellate Body ruled against India for favouring domestically sourced solar panels and solar cleaning over international panels, despite India raising issues relating to energy security and the environment.
INTRODUCTION TO SERIES
The Personal Data Protection Bill has garnered a fair degree of attention in the last few weeks. For the uninitiated, a brief description of the Bill and its significance can be found here.
INTRODUCTION TO SERIES
The Personal Data Protection Bill has garnered a fair degree of attention in the last few weeks. For the uninitiated, a brief description of the Bill and its significance can be found here.
In Part I, I attempted to provide an overview of the ISP market structure, market players and associated economic phenomena. In Part II, we will be discussing the more specific topic of Net Neutrality and its intersection with economics.
Please note that over the course of the ensuing write-up, I have referred to two kinds of fees:
Network Neutrality () refers to a network wherein participants are effectively blind to the nature of data flowing through the network. Another way of defining NN is a network wherein participants are restricted from differential treatment of data flow. Please understand that the definitions provided above are, in cliché speak, two sides of the same coin. Even if a participant can distinguish the nature of data flowing through a network, the participant is considered to be effectively blind, if said participant doesn’t interfere with the data flow. I have discussed the basic concepts and issues surrounding NN here.
Ed. Note: This post by Prateek Surisetti is a part of the TLF Editorial Board Test 2018
Ed. Note: This post by Prateek Surisetti is a part of the TLF Editorial Board Test 2018
Put very simply, a neutral network is one in which both the Internet Service Provider (ISP) and other actors are effectively blind to the content that is being put on the internet. The debate surrounding network neutrality has arisen only recently because earlier, ISPs could not identify the nature of data that was moving through its networks. Now, with the advancement of technology in the form of “Deep Packet Inspection”, ISPs can, at least as far as technology is concerned, differentiate between the various kinds of data on their networks. Also, they will be able to understand the amount of data that is being transferred from a particular server or source. In other words, an ISP can determine exactly the extent of data its users are accessing from a content provider (CP), such as Netflix or YouTube.