What is a "neutral platform"? Are there any examples of such "neutral platforms" outside of web company marketing? Was this term coined by web companies? See

What is a "neutral platform"? Are there any examples of such "neutral platforms" outside of web company marketing? Was this term coined by web companies? Seems to me like a more concrete term to describe a web company such as Facebook is "MITM". This has a specific meaning and we can all understand how it applies. A MITM could be benevolent, malicious or perhaps "neutral". (The existence of the later might be obviated by peer-to-peer connections.) If there could be such a thing as a "neutral platform", then maybe "the internet" is the best candidate. Not any particular MITM, whether benevolent, malicious or "neutral".