Net neutrality

Introduction

Net neutrality is having freedom of access to network and browsing anonymously. Network freedom and confidentiality has raised different issues ranging from unfair bandwidth consumption, pirating software, child pornography among other privacy and illegal manipulation of the network. Freely availability of network access contributes to increased access of individuals accessing network.

Internet Manipulation

Access to the internet has highly increased due to many people having easy access to the network through the use of handheld devices. Growth and development of technology have led to increased, number of iPhone, Smartphone, iPad, and other personal digital assistants (PDA).  Handheld devices have increased privacy and confidentiality as well as well as accessing network anonymously. Increased privacy has increased individuals spending much time while browsing across the network.  Increased, use of network has been contributed by the easy availability of data supply from internet service provider (Chatzidakis, & Mitussis, 2007).

 Users can buy data and use it without limitation.  Better terms of purchasing data due to the availability of free data and unlimited data have led to almost everyone using the network at anytime, anywhere and for unlimited time. The effect has led to reduced bandwidth and high congestion on data bandwidths. Severs encounter bottleneck problem due to high numbers of subscribers within the network. Several users of the system also have encountered slow access to data and information.

Pirating and Bandwidth Manipulation

The ease of accessing network has led to network users engaging in unethical practices which include accessing, downloading, and distributing materials without approved permission from original owners. Pirating which is an unethical practice of accessing and using internet files, music, videos, films, and games without permission has highly increased with the current digital era. Unethical users of the internet have increasingly manipulated network anonymity to access, download, and share data across the network (Morris, 2009). Most of data and information pirated include music files both audio and visual. The second highly pirated files are video clips. Games and films from the third and fourth highly pirated items respectively. Pirating video, music, games, and films is breaking patent rights. The Act also discourages creativity by affecting creativity market.

Massive downloading and sharing of pirated internet resources has been contributed by Internet Service providers who continuously provide network data to the subscriber at cheap cost and some time for free. The later effects are degrading of network bandwidth through creating bottlenecks to main servers due to massive download of pirated materials. The second factor that has greatly contributed to increase pirating is the availability of platforms that provide access to music, video, games, and films. Availability of websites such as YOUTUBE that offer free access to music, video, games, and films create feasible and viable platforms for practicing pirating. Such sites allow free streaming of graphical data thus leading to consumption of bandwidth. An increased number of university students, high school students participates in YouTube website to stream video for free; access free downloads as well as sharing video clips for free. Students download and share YouTube video clips and other facilities for free without mutual benefit to owners, of materials.  Downloading, uploading, and streaming video clips lead to massive consumption of bandwidth causing slow operation of other devices relying on same servers (Danaher, et al., 2010).  The third factor that has contributes to pirating is the presence of social media platforms. The Facebook websites Twitter platforms and types of social media websites increase the availability and chances of subscribers, participating in piracy activities. Social media platform acts as main platforms for accelerating distribution of files. Social media subscribers take advantage of network and share materials with a friend.  The sharing of video clips leads to misuse of network neutrality as well as the missing freedom to access network (Klumpp, 2014).  

Conclusion

The increased pirating activities are rampant due to lack of awareness and failure to know how to practice IT ethical policies. Individuals should be trained on how to use the network as well as being given awareness about the practices they should embrace while using network facilities. Ethical issues as well as good IT practices should be taught to the society to control breaking of patent rights. The various websites that stream videos, music, games and films should use better methods of promoting creativity sectors by ensuring that they have charged the individuals who gain access to the facilities from their site. The sites should ensure that no sharing without paying for other people creative work. The sites that should not comply with the strategies that promote creative work should be closed. ISPs should control sharing and distribution of bandwidth to ensure that users have limited to me to use data. The amount of data that an individual should use should be managed and controlled by ensuring that their subscribers have limited data plans regulated at their premises. Communication control teams should get involved to ensure people are not manipulated from receiving low bandwidth at the expense of others.

References

Chatzidakis, A., & Mitussis, D. (2007). Computer ethics and consumer ethics: the impact of the internet on consumers' ethical decision-making process.Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 6, 5, 305-320

Danaher, B., Dhanasobhon, S., Smith, M. D., & Telang, R. (2010). Converting Pirates Without Cannibalizing Purchasers: The Impact of Digital Distribution on Physical Sales and Internet Piracy. Marketing Science, 29, 6, 1138-1151.

Klumpp, T. (2014). File Sharing, Network Architecture, and Copyright Enforcement: An Overview. Managerial and Decision Economics, 35, 7, 444-459. 

Morris, P. S. (2009). Pirates of the Internet, At Intellectual Property's End With Torrents and Challenges for Choice of Law. International Journal of Law and Information Technology, 17, 3, 282-303.

 Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in legitimate paper writing services if you need a similar paper you can place your order for custom college essay services.