Goodbye Net Neutrality: Is the Adult Affiliate Industry in Trouble?

Goodbye Net Neutrality: Is the Adult Affiliate Industry in Trouble?
Crakrevenue-net-neutrality

Affiliate Marketing

Written by

Sebastien

PUBLISHED ON

December 15, 2017

Category

Affiliate Marketing

Why Net Neutrality Matters

The very foundation of the Internet has been built on the principle of freedom.

Net Neutrality acts as a safety valve against discrimination from Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

This is also why the Internet hasn’t been sold in bundles yet, similar to what happened with cable television.

Imagine having to shell out more for accessing social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) or your favorite music websites.

Or being singled out as a webmaster because you didn't pay to be in the fast lane.

Without Net Neutrality, the Internet as we know it will fall apart.

Corporations will eat it alive.

So What Happened Exactly?

On December 14, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to repeal Net Neutrality.

As a result, ISPs will have the power to segment and control your online experience.

Here’s what providers will be able to do without Net Neutrality:

  • Block websites or apps
  • Throttle the transmission of data
  • Create an Internet fast lane
  • Data Caps (if it isn’t already the case)
  • Geoblocking and other forms of censorship

This new development could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The End of Adult Entertainment Online as We Know It?

Porn makes up a rather large chunk of Internet consumption.

  • Porn sites get more traffic than Amazon, Netflix and Twitter — combined
  • Sex is the #1 most popular search term
  • There are over 24.5 million adult websites
  • Over 30,000 people are viewing porn — every second

Without regulations, corporations are able to discriminate against specific websites and/or industries.

It’s no secret that the adult industry is already heavily stigmatized.

Repealing Net Neutrality could change the industry as we know it.

As a matter of fact, it might turn the entire Internet ecosystem flat on its head!

For years, free Internet access was taken for granted.

This is about to change.

With ISPs basically having carte blanche over your Internet habits, prepare for the inevitable rising costs of your traffic favorite services.

What Does Net Neutrality Changes Mean for the Adult Affiliate Marketing Landscape?

For affiliate marketers promoting adult products, the end of Net Neutrality brings its fair share of challenges.  

In a nutshell, it will become a pay-to-play business model.

Here are some of the ramifications to expect:

For Media Buyers

Adult traffic has been known to be less expensive than mainstream traffic. The fact that Internet giants such as Facebook and Google look down on adult traffic contributed a lot to this fact.

However, if Net Neutrality gets abolished in the US, it will create a huge opportunity for Internet providers to make more money out of adult traffic by either providing fast lanes for the biggest adult websites and/or providing new privacy services.

The value of US traffic could soar, making it way more difficult to achieve a good return on investment (ROI) for Media Buyers.

For Webmasters

As a webmaster, the absence of Net Neutrality means that you won’t be able to compete against the biggest websites of the adult industry to drive traffic.

It could spell trouble for your efforts. After all, this is a whole new world where the rich get richer, and the weak bite the dust.

Unbridled capitalism.

Imagine having spent a lot of money, time and effort on your SEO strategies. If you’re not in the Internet’s fast lane, all could be for nothing.

Page load time is a critical factor for search engines. If you can’t afford the fast lane, you’re as good as dead.

Gutting Net Neutrality puts at risk the whole online marketing industry.

It’s not a stretch to say a lot of people will suffer, starting with the consumers.

So, What Should We Do?

Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom.

There’s still a glimmer of hope.

Congress can overrule the FCC decision by passing a “resolution of disapproval”. All it requires is a simple majority in the Senate, which is easier than passing a law.

If you are an American citizen, we urge you to fight for the future of the Internet.

Visit https://www.battleforthenet.com/ to let Congress know net neutrality is non-negotiable.

I’ll be fine here in...

Stop.

Living outside the US? You’re also concerned.

A lot of countries love to ape America, for better or for worse.

You can bet ISPs around the world are frothing at the mouth, ready to pounce on their customers.

They finally have a precedent, a poorly-veiled excuse to jack your rates and tear apart one of the most important invention in mankind history.

What do you think of Net Neutrality? Let us know in the comment section below.

 

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