Net neutrality, a Trojan horse for increased government control of the Internet

[Commentary] Around the world there are different definitions of network neutrality and the so-called “open Internet.” A survey of national net neutrality rules shows that the concept is an empty vessel used to capture concerns ranging from vertical foreclosure to privacy to parental controls.

As each country’s telecommunications market is different, “each telecom authority must develop its own solution.” The lack of clarity offers governments a Trojan horse. On the ruse of protecting consumers, governments can legitimize increased control of the Internet -- and its users.

[Layton is studies Internet economics at the Center for Communication, Media, and Information Technologies at Aalborg University in Copenhagen]