Scott Cleland of Net Competition said that net neutrality laws "mean less privacy for all Americans because net neutrality would require more control and monitoring of Internet traffic by the government” (qtd. of “Net Neutrality”). But what is he talking about anyway? Net neutrality, or the separation between Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and the content retrieved through their networks, is an extremely hot topic these days. The ideals of net neutrality can be compared to how you would use electricity in your home. You don't pay your power company a "toaster fee" just to be able to plug in your toaster, or a "light bulb fee" just to be able to turn on your lights (Gordon; Ammori). Similarly, net neutrality states that ISPs should not charge for the privilege of using specific programs or services (Ammori). Why would you want to pay for a Netflix plan or a YouTube plan with your Internet service plan? Scott Cleland and Net Competition argue that Americans would suffer a loss of privacy if Net Neutrality becomes a reality. But is it true? Will the United States government suddenly start flipping through the pages of every American's web browser history? Will the land of the free suddenly become the land of the guarded? Not so fast, Scott. It is certainly true that the government will have to start looking more closely at network traffic in order to enforce a neutral Internet. Why do you think police officers hang around so much on the highways? To enforce the speed limit, of course. The same goes for the World Wide Web. Tim Berners-Lee, the man who created the Internet, even justified government regulation of networks: “Most of the time, the Internet thrives on a lack of regulation. But some core values ​​still need to be... middle of paper ... the right to freedom of expression, while preventing each company's customer base from declining. The land of the free doesn’t have to be the land of the watched after all. Works Cited Ammori, Marvin. "TEDxUofM - Marvin Ammori - Why Internet Policy Matters." YouTube. TEDx Talks. Internet. May 7, 2014. Berners-Lee, Tim. “Net neutrality: it’s serious.” Web log publication. Decentralized information group. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Internet. May 7, 2014. Gordon, Whitson. “An introduction to Net Neutrality: what it is, what it means for you, and what you can do about it.” Life hacker. Gawker Media. Internet. May 7, 2014. “Moyers on America: The Net @ Risk.” » Classroom video on demand. Groupe Films Médias, 2006. Web. May 7, 2014. “Net Neutrality.” Problems and controversies. Facts On File News Services, November 1, 2010. Web. May 7, 2014. New Jersey Online Privacy Protection Act, §§ 3-AC (2000). Print.