Will BitTorrent's Paid 'Fast Lane' Violate 'Net Neutrality'? (torrentfreak.com)

BitTorrent and TRON have an ambitious plan to improve the BitTorrent protocol. Not only will users be financially rewarded for seeding, but they can also pay for faster access. While this may sound good to some, we wonder how this rhymes with BitTorrent's fight for Net Neutrality and its advocacy against paid prioritization. From a report: We ask this question because BitTorrent has been a fierce proponent of an open Internet. It has been a frontrunner in advocating for Net Neutrality, repeatedly criticizing paid traffic prioritization and so-called "fast lanes." BitTorrent went as far as creating the dedicated "internetbetter" website, avenging FCC's plans to meddle with the 'Open Internet,' advertising its campaign on a massive billboard. "The FCC's proposed changes to Net Neutrality would create a preferential fast lane for designated traffic," BitTorrent wrote at the time. "Those with the deep pockets to pay for this fast lane will have the ability to access and distribute content at higher speeds. Those who lack the purchasing power will be disadvantaged. This moves us towards an Internet of discrimination." These efforts didn't prevent the Net Neutrality rules from being repealed in the US, but it appears that BitTorrent's own plans may not be in line with an 'open' Internet either.

Comments

Re:Application or virtual ISP

[Anonymous Coward]

Can a virtual ISP have a monopoly pipe?

If you've ever had bittorrent running on your network, you'd know the answer. Bittorrent is a prime example of a need for home network QoS to depioritize bulk data saturation transfer over just about anything. Monetizing further efforts to prioritize the traffic is in the same vein as cryptomining--a great way to scam* users (possibly behind their back**) into burning a lot of their own resources with vague promises of some reward. Unless/until it's proven otherwise in a remotely sustainable way, I have at best grave misgivings about the idea.

* Supposedly Creates Assloads of Money

** Consider all the websites pushing cryptominers on users to "pay" for their usage. Now imagine shoving a bittorrent client into javascript and trying to bypass outgoing restrictions.

Re:Greed. What a surprise.

[BeauHD-Cum Dumpster]

#ImpeachTRUMPToday #ImWithHer #OrangeManBad #MakeAmericaBlueAgain2020

If they pay people for seeding

[rsilvergun]

and they seed pirated content they're going to be eaten alive in court by the RIAA & MPAA.