Stanford Engineers Propose A Technology To Break The Net Neutrality Deadlock (phys.org)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: Stanford engineers have invented a technology that would allow an internet user to tell network providers and online publishers when and if they want content or services to be given preferential delivery, an advance that could transform the network neutrality debate. Net neutrality, as it's often called, is the proposition that internet providers should allow equal access to all content rather than give certain applications favored status or block others. But the Stanford engineers -- Professor Nick McKeown, Associate Professor Sachin Katti and electrical engineering PhD Yiannis Yiakoumis -- say their new technology, called Network Cookies, makes it possible to have preferential delivery and an open internet. Network Cookies allow users to choose which home or mobile traffic should get favored delivery, while putting network operators and content providers on a level playing field in catering to such user-signaled preferences. "So far, net neutrality has been promoted as the best possible defense for users," Katti said. "But treating all traffic the same isn't necessarily the best way to protect users. It often restricts their options and this is why so-called exceptions from neutrality often come up. We think the best way to ensure that ISPs and content providers don't make decisions that conflict with the interests of users is to let users decide how to configure their own traffic." McKeown said Network Cookies implement user-directed preferences in ways that are consistent with the principles of net neutrality. "First, they're simple to use and powerful," McKeown said. "They enable you to fast-lane or zero-rate traffic from any application or website you want, not just the few, very popular applications. This is particularly important for smaller content providers -- and their users -- who can't afford to establish relationships with ISPs. Second, they're practical to deploy. They don't overwhelm the user or bog down user devices and network operators and they function with a variety of protocols. Finally, they can be a very practical tool for regulators, as they can help them design simple and clear policies and then audit how well different parties adhere to them." The researchers presented a technical paper on their approach at a conference in Brazil.

Comments

what does it matter new owners of slashdot

[eyenot]

what does it matter you stupid mother fuckers whether the guy's wearing a towel wrapped around his head or around his dick, eh? hey, downgrade me another set of appointed modpoints, PLEASE -- the 15 A DAY was a little too fucking annoying and after my last racist comment, the 5 A DAY is still just annoying in an entirely new way.

i'd prefer NO FUCKING MODERATION POINTS PER DAY. THANKS.

fucking jerk off sons of bitches. instead of trying to "improve" slashdot why don't you work on improving your own country out of a state of more or less complete and absolute academic dishonesty? how about work on your government so it's not bribery from towel wrapped head to towel wrapped dick you short, greasy mother fuckers?

this site is getting fucking pathetic, man. i bet if i keep up this put-on tirade of racist bullshit for long enough you'll sack my fucking account because you're weak spined, arrogant, stupid, dishonest wannabe crackers. sorry you weren't born in the appalachians but apparently you can still marry your sister or daughter in the united states so hey you still have opportunities to catch up with the elegant east coast lifestyle. become a real "blue blood" and fuck both your mother and your sister at once.

what was this fucking article about? putting an entirely new layer of cookies actually on the fucking backbone of the internet?

wow, you've got to be fucking kidding me. who came up with this fucking bullshit, the guy who falsely claimed to invent the microwave or the guy who actually believes he has the right to sell the golden gate bridge?

so let me ask, which server has to play "user" at any given time? i mean, if you make it completely ambiguous which server is user and which is host -- in terms of the cookie you follow me -- then it's not a security protocol. at all. it's fucking bullshit. it's over-complicating something. claiming that it improves security would somewhere implicate a tautology. security is already well defined and it does not entail complete transparency and freely flowing bidirectional information. firewalls exist for a reason. jesus i think i just sprouted a second, baby-sized dick. it has an actual dick diaper on it. there's a rattle sticking out of my ear. what the actual fuck.

you see that, you fuck around with these new third-world slashdot owners long enough and they just sick the magic juju on your ass.

fucking anti-headline bullshit. when is this site going to get liquidated and put us all out of our miseries?