In spite of public protests, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced plans to end the use of net neutrality in 2015, and in June 2018 the US officially repealed the rules that restricted the way internet providers could treat data. The impact was quickly felt. released in September by Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts revealed that YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and NBC Sports were the main targets of slowing data speeds, or throttling.

But why is net neutrality such a big issue, what are the consequences of its repeal and what can you do to protect yourself from it and similar threats around the world?