VPN Realities in the Wake of Net Neutrality

As of December 14th, Net Neutrality has been dealt a severe blow in the form of the United States removing the internet’s overarching protections that keep large businesses from running it without oversight. This move may not be restricted to just the United States, and other countries could follow in their footsteps, leading to further issues in the digital realm.

In a world where the U.N. has declared internet access a fundamental human right, why are so many companies being given unrestricted power over how they present it to customers? What can you do to sidestep these oversights should the situation worsen?

What does the repeal of net neutrality imply?

The repeal of net neutrality allows broadband and ISPs to control Internet traffic as they wish (called ISP tracking). However, organizations can take advantage of this facility and turn the Internet backbone structure to their advantage. ISPs can affect your Internet experience in various ways because of the absence of net neutrality regulations.

Access

In the absence of net neutrality, your ISPs have controls that allow or block your access to certain applications or websites. This can be based either on what they value to be free or what they see as a threat to society. 

Your Internet provider may allow access to content with which it owns or has a business relationship, or you may have to pay more for your preferred services. This outcome may particularly affect poor netizens without the means to access the “more expensive” web service.

Speed

Before the repeal, providers were illegally slowing down internet speeds based on user activity. This increased activity will cause all users to experience slow internet speeds unless action is taken. ISPs may take advantage of “fast lanes” or charge you more for faster speeds.

This leaves consumers and businesses with two choices: either face slower speeds or pay more for the speed they desire.

Data caps or download speeds may apply to those with high enough bandwidth. It means that eSports players who compete in online games or users who love to stream online shows on web series such as Netflix will experience uneven speed if they refuse to pay more for bandwidth.

Privacy

The repeal of net neutrality could have dire consequences for privacy. Giving ISPs more control over how they treat Internet traffic can be dangerous for consumers. 

Further, the FCC is putting consumers at risk by giving them control over data resulting from browsing. Recently the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and FCC have planned to “police the Internet,” meaning they will look but not act due to lack of authority.

Earlier this year, the FCC blocked online privacy protection for users. It allows ISPs to share, collect and sell users’ data to third parties, and advertisers and providers do not need to consent to these nefarious activities.

In short, people who rely on the net for business, education, communication, or any other purpose will face the disadvantages of the repeal of net neutrality.

VPNs: Privacy protection and its realities

Chances are you’ve heard of VPNs in passing at one point or another, although they may not sound entirely legitimate to a casual observer. The mindset of not requiring privacy because one does not feel they are doing anything wrong can lead to the steady erosion of freedoms in any area of one’s life, digital or otherwise.

At their core, virtual private networks act as a middleman between your internet provider and the internet at large that helps keep your web data safe. Instead of tying your internet use to specific activities or websites, anyone trying to follow your activity would only see your connection to your VPN, which then forwards your web traffic elsewhere. The most trustworthy VPNs don’t keep logs of their connections for any longer than is necessary to comply with local laws, either, so there are no records to request if someone wants to see what you’ve been trying to view.

For some, this is just an extra step taken to protect privacy in a world where privacy is slowly slipping out of the average person’s grasp. For others, especially in countries where VPNs are against the law, seeking out information safely and without government intervention is less a matter of privacy and more a bridge to human rights that should be available to all.

Will a sudden lack of net neutrality lead to a call for VPNs? Maybe not immediately. After all, it’s only an issue in the United States and will almost certainly see delays and legal challenges before implementation. On the other hand, other countries following in the footsteps of the U.S. shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s better to be prepared for an uncomfortable possibility than to be left scrambling for a solution at the last minute.

Finding a VPN

There are quite a few facets of a VPN to consider, but a true beginner likely only needs to know a few things about a VPN of choice: Cost, ease of use, logging habits, and internet speeds.

Any VPN will be slightly slower than using your network as-is, but the privacy advantages often make it worthwhile, and better VPNs won’t slow you down much, but it’s simply the nature of the technology. Of course, this can affect the service’s price and ease of use to varying degrees, so if you’re not sure whether or not a network is right for you, make sure you read the review from a few trusted sources to make sure their habits are good for the end-user and not just their bottom line.

The last and most important feature for most users will be a VPN’s logging habits. As stated before, better VPNs won’t keep logs on hand for any time if possible while also ensuring I.P. addresses are shared between various users so no one person can have their activity tracked. So it’s no longer just for people using the internet illegitimately but rather a way to ensure internet traffic isn’t restricted or rerouted to make a telecoms company a huge stack of cash off of your pain and misery.

The uncertain future

We’ve reached a frighteningly painful period of history where the outcry of the majority seems to be drowned out by corporate advocates and power-hungry individuals looking to profit off disasters.

Losing a step towards free access to the world’s collected information seems a dire signal of things to come, yet we’re going to be left to see how the dust will settle. So don’t wait until things shake out to start protecting your privacy. But, unfortunately, those running the internet for you aren’t going to offer you the luxury for free.