We all know that the internet is a product of US military agencies. Yet, the default idea is that the internet means (more or less) free flow of information and a good thing in general.
But is that so? Could it be that the internet was just another con from the get go? Just a bit longer one than the rest of them. After all, we've seen it before.
For example, smartphones. At the start it was all fun and games. Then it got a bit more serious, but still nice and cool. And now it has turned into opressive slave device, with constant suveillance, that is almost compulsory to have and quite hard to live without.
Is the internet any different? It started as this highway of information, rainbows and unicorns and all that. But now it gets more and more censored, more and more oppressive with each passing day. If current trend continues, at the end it will be nothing more than totally controlled tool of oppression. Could it be that that was its design from the very beginning?
Is started in NOCs in the 90s. The DOD model was replaced with OSI before the public got online.
What you're describing is the creation and implementation of any technology. At first its used by its creators which is generally the wild west period. Then it's taken over by the general public where its regulated and monetized.
The internet was especially touchy since early users did major damage spreading viruses. Changes to keep it the internet o Online where made quickly to fix the issue of the general public destroying everything.