One of the great things about the internet is that it's largely a meritocracy. Sure, there are some unfair dealings going on here and there, but for the most part, the good stuff bubbles to the top--or at least finds its way to the people who'd like to use it the most. Net neutrality is awesome because it allows content to disperse itself in a free market fashion. And the open ethics of the internet carry over to the real world a little bit too as people communicate freely about the real quality of companies and products. No matter the strength of an ad campaign, if the internet finds what you're selling to be crap, everyone will know. 

Services like Yelp and Amazon allow people to rate goods and services from an unbiased standpoint--at least in theory. I always assumed that a Yelp rating was a pretty good indicator of the general quality of a business, but it turns out there may be some corruption from within tainting the spirit of the site.

The online seizure of streaming website Megaupload wasn't the result of the SOPA/PIPA legislation or its protests, but its timing certainly makes it seem as though it's a warning of sorts. The feds are already starting to take away bits of our internet whether we like it or not. 

Granted, MU was a very illegal and rather shady little slice of the web. Its servers were home to streaming service MegaVideo, which allowed you to watch streaming content, like copyrighted movies and television shows, for free--but not without the cost of sketchy border ads and a stream time limit. Despite being a little rough around the edges, MegaVideo was an extraordinarily popular under-the-radar alternative to paid streaming services like Netflix or Hulu Plus. It had such a high profile that the people in charge took note and worked very hard to make sure it was wiped from the face of the net, with nothing but a 404 crater left where it once stood.