Net neutrality could hinder efforts to safeguard Web, worry security experts

Some security experts worry the Federal Communications Commission’s network neutrality rules could limit broadband providers when it comes to rooting out malicious Internet traffic. Problems may arise if Internet service providers start equating net neutrality with “common carrier” status, says John Pescatore, director of emerging security threats at the SANS Institute.

Phone companies still operate under common carrier status and are prohibited form treating calls differently based on where they come from, who is calling, or what might be said on the call. As common carriers, phone companies are prohibited from looking into the content of what they transport. The downside is that phone companies do nothing to filter out bad or annoying calls. It took a separate law to get them to allow a Do Not Call List, Pescatore says. “Net neutrality has not been defined the same way,” he says. “But it is likely the ISPs will treat it that way and make absolutely no progress toward filtering out bad stuff before it reaches the end user,” he says. Unless the FCC specifically dictates that ISPs must take specific measures to control bad traffic, net neutrality could slow down some of the progress providers have made ensuring a safer Internet, says Pescatore.