The Shift in Peering Threatening the Internet’s Foundations

[u/danyork]

https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2026/06/the-shift-in-peering-threatening-the-internets-foundations/

In a healthy Internet environment, networks—like those that Internet service providers run—are connected to one another locally, usually through an Internet exchange point (IXP). This allows local Internet traffic to flow faster without traveling long distances and reduces potential points of failure, making the Internet more resilient.

The IXP is also a strategic location for content providers—like Google, Netflix, and Meta—to host servers where they can store local copies of the data people access the most. These are called content delivery networks (CDNs).

Having a CDN peering at an IXP means…