By treating all sorts of contents and applications in a neutral, identical manner, the Internet has developed as the most efficient, most democratic communication platform ever.
Allegedly in order to avoid congestion and to support the development of new services, network operators have begun to give priority to a favoured share of the digital traffic, thereby blocking or slowing down the rest of the information that circulates over the Internet.
The principle of net neutrality has been affirmed as a reaction against such discriminatory treatment. Its accurate scope remains intensely debated.
So does the effectiveness of its protection.
(This is the draft version of an article to be published in a forthcoming issue of the Quaderns del CAC).
