Course Blog #4
This week we talked about two very important things; Net Neutrality and Safety codes for social media. Both I never paid much attention to until we discussed them in class. It is so easy to just skip through all the agreements when going through any apps and just click agree and sign your name. Honestly, I have always done that. Every apple long terms and conditions I have just scrolled down to the bottom and clicked agree, same with any social media app. It is a bad habit and I intend to be more careful because I have learned companies can sneak things in without your knowledge and in the future, it can hurt you or invade your privacy. So the class taught me to be A LOT more careful.
Then Net Neutrality is something I had only ever heard of but I find it pretty interesting after watching videos about it and learning more in depth what it is. The definition is “Net Neutrality is the idea that internet service providers like Comcast and Verizon should treat all content flowing through their cables and cell towers equally.” So pretty much our tv providers should not be allowed to slow other internet services for their own benefit. Like if your provider Comcast has a show they want you to stream instead of normal competition they slow your link to Netflix so you are more inclined to watch what they allow you to. Net Neutrality stops this hypothetical, both Bush and Obama era supported Net Neutrality. However, now with Trump, they are trying to get it disbanded. I think Net Neutrality is a positive and company providers should not be able to control peoples ability to view what they want.
3 Comments
Preston Jaurequi
I too have always agreed to the terms and conditions that pop up on almost everything we sign up for without even reading what they say. It was nice to learn more about that topic and learn about how your life can be affected by these terms and conditions. I honestly probably still won’t read them because that’s just me, however, it was nice to know for when it comes to important documents that I should actually read what it says.
Maria Sillas
Ever time I download an app or if I am given any sort of waiver, I never read the terms and conditions. After reading your post, I was reminded of the importance of taking the time to read through agreements that companies provide us with. As you mentioned in your post, many companies do indeed “seek things” without us ever knowing. For instance, in Snapchat’s privacy policy, it states that Snapchat is allowed to keep track of who you follow, what you post, and who you talk to. Snapchat also has permission to look at whats apps you view and what filters you use. According to Snapchat, they keep track of what filters people use in order to come up with new filters for the future. In regards to net neutrality, I must say that before this class I had no idea what term meant either. I had heard about it in news however, I never took the time to learn more about it. Dr. Levension also mentioned in class on how if net neutrality is disbanded, this will only benefit rich. It will be much harder for those to struggle to make ends meet to pay for additional fees for their cable company. I hope with the help of this class, you are able to spread the awareness to both safety codes and net neutrality.
Ashley Lujan
We are on the same page. Just like you, I did not know much about Net Neutrality and I think many people are in this situation. It’s alarming because it’s something that affects all internet users and it has a negative impact on those who wouldn’t be able to afford high-speed internet. You should learn this post in every social media platform that you use so more people can be informed on what’s happening right now.