Mitchell Baker, the Executive Chairwoman of Mozilla and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, restated her firm belief that an open neutral internet is essential to ensure innovation on the internet during an interview with the BBC’s Hard Talk programme.
Net neutrality is the subject of a lot of arguments over whether organisations should treat all data on the internet equally, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content or mode of communication. Currently most of the internet in the west is neutral, meaning that anyone is free to use it legally as they wish. However there are commentators, particularly in the USA who believe that a closed internet or one with varying degrees of access and censorship would be more secure and easy to police.
When asked her view on the subject, Mrs Baker said: “If you want what we have had … where you or your child or someone anywhere in the world can have an idea and make a product and reach everyone and let the consumers determine if that product is good then you need to have net neutrality.”
Disagreements over the freedom of the internet are becoming increasingly widespread, intense and political after opponents of net neutrality challenged the status quo over inability to censor inappropriate content and prevent terrorism.
Supporters of net neutrality on the other hand believe that many big businesses oppose net neutrality because it increases competition from small enterprises
Mrs Baker said: “You need to have the ability for someone new who has no money and a good idea and an innovation to actually reach potential customers.”