[IP] Re: "Network Neutrality Squad": Users Protecting an Open and Fair Internet

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

From atkinson Robert <rca53@columbia.edu>

Begin forwarded message:

Dave:

Congratulations to all the founders. This effort should be much more
successful than any collection of static laws and regulations in terms
of ensuring reasonably neutral networks without unduly limiting network
operators' ability to be efficient and innovative. With your
credibility, if the NN Squad discovers intentional, systematic abuses
that aren't immediately rectified, there will be a body of serious,
credible evidence that will support well-focused rules or successful,
swift lawsuits.  However, my guess is that the mere presence of an
active NN Squad will be a very effective deterrent to abusive behavior.
Let's hope so: the alternatives of non-neutral networks or an internet
stifled by unnecessary backward-looking regulations are equally
unacceptable.

Bob

-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave@farber.net]=20
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 6:46 AM
To: ip@v2.listbox.com
Subject: [IP] "Network Neutrality Squad": Users Protecting an Open and
Fair Internet=20



Begin forwarded message:

From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren@VORTEX.COM>
Date: November 5, 2007 7:49:09 PM EST
To: USACM-INFO@LISTSERV.ACM.ORG
Subject: "Network Neutrality Squad": Users Protecting an Open and Fair  
=20
Internet
Reply-To: Lauren Weinstein <lauren@VORTEX.COM>

  "Network Neutrality Squad": Users Protecting an Open and Fair =20
Internet

               http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000327.html


Greetings.  I'm very pleased to announce a new project from
PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility:

               "Network Neutrality Squad" - NNSquad

                      http://www.nnsquad.org


Joining PFIR Co-Founders Peter G. Neumann and I in this announcement
are Keith Dawson (Slashdot.org), David J. Farber (Carnegie
Mellon University), Bob Frankston, Phil Karn (Qualcomm),
David P. Reed, Paul Saffo, and Bruce Schneier (BT Counterpane).

Recent events such as Comcast's lack of candor regarding their
secretive disruption of BitTorrent protocols, and Verizon's altering
of domain name lookup results to favor their own advertising pages,
are but tip-of-the-iceberg examples of how easily Internet
operations can be altered in ways that may not be immediately
obvious, but that still can have dramatic, distorting, and in some
cases far-reaching negative consequences for the Internet's users.

The Network Neutrality Squad ("NNSquad") is an open-membership,
open-source effort, enlisting the Internet's users to help keep the
Internet's operations fair and unhindered from unreasonable
restrictions.

The project's focus includes detection, analysis, and incident
reporting of any anticompetitive, discriminatory, or other
restrictive actions on the part of Internet service Providers (ISPs)
or affiliated entities, such as the blocking or disruptive
manipulation of applications, protocols, transmissions, or
bandwidth; or other similar behaviors not specifically requested by
their customers.

Other key aspects of the project are discussions, technology
development and deployment, and associated activities -- fostering
cooperation and mutually agreeable methodologies whenever
possible -- aimed at keeping the Internet a maximally unhindered,
useful, competitive, fair, and open environment for the broadest
possible range of applications and services.

We invite individual, commercial, nonprofit, government, and all
other Internet users and stakeholders (including ISPs) to
participate in the Network Neutrality Squad.

Please join the moderated mailing list (choice of immediate
distribution or digest) for project announcements and discussions,
by sending a message (any subject or text) to:

nnsquad-subscribe@nnsquad.org

or by signing up at the mailing list Web page:

http://lists.nnsquad.org/mailman/listinfo/nnsquad

A moderated, interactive discussion and incident reporting forum is
also available for more real-time communications on related topics:

http://forums.pfir.org/main/messages/714/714.html

Questions and comments are welcome at nnsquad-info@nnsquad.org, or
feel free to contact me directly for details.

Working together, we can help to keep the Internet an incredibly
useful resource for everyone around the globe, unhampered by any
efforts to skew its enormous capabilities in ways that could hinder
the many while benefiting the relative few.

We hope that you'll join this cause. Thank you for your
consideration.

--Lauren--

(Affiliations shown for identification purposes only.)

Lauren Weinstein
lauren@vortex.com or lauren@pfir.org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
  - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com


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