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Egypt has shut off the Internet (update: not everywhere)

arabist.net

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Re: Egypt has shut off the Internet (update: not everywhere)

#71

Post by tfh »

csomar wrote: post #9

In Tunisia, it's not Internet that made the revolution success, but SMS. First, everyone has a mobile phone (even the poor). Second, you receive the message and read it instantly wherever you are. (You should guess it, few people here have smart phones). Third, there is more commitment that you go to the street. For those interested in the Tunisian revolution: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12302232 I think t…

I think the internet (and specially facebook) had a big role too. Facebook videos were crucial to show that the people were not giving up specially when the television was silent about the whole thing.

BTW who's your nominee?

Re: Egypt has shut off the Internet (update: not everywhere)

#72

Post by Natsu »

jerf wrote: post #33
Zak wrote: post #18

I read this, and become more concerned about bills to give the US President an Internet kill-switch. They say it's to protect against cyber-warfare, but something makes me think it's just as likely to be applied to civil unrest, and civil unrest doesn't usually happen unless there's something pretty wrong with the government.

Well, good news, it doesn't matter. If the situation has deteriorated to that point, the government will just do it anyhow. I don't support the bill anyhow, because I'm not really a "let's just give one central authority all the power because why not?" kind of guy, but honestly, there's not much point worrying about that particular kind of misuse of that particular power. Standard martial law concepts would probably…

> Well, good news, it doesn't matter. If the situation has deteriorated to that point, the government will just do it anyhow.

I'm more worried about them using it selectively and routinely, rather than as an emergency measure.

Re: Egypt has shut off the Internet (update: not everywhere)

#73

Post by sliverstorm »

DanielBMarkham wrote: post #27
seancron wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which makes me wonder, is there a way to make an ad-hoc, decentralized internet that a government could not shut down?

Yes. They're called mesh networks, and I think you've just described why they will never take off. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking

I've always been under the impression the reason mesh networks haven't taken off is because of the cost & speed benefits of centralized colocation data centers and trans-continental backbones, but maybe I'm just not paranoid enough.

Re: Egypt has shut off the Internet (update: not everywhere)

#75

Post by hoag »

bennysaurus wrote: post #43
hoag wrote: post #11

Just a friendly heads-up that everyone should help spread the word for people in Egypt (and anywhere else with blocked/censored Internet) to download and start using AnchorFree's Hotspot Shield as soon as possible. I've even started using it here in the States for maximum online security.

No ISP connectivity isn't blocked/censored internet, the ISP links are down completely. There isn't a possible way to get through something that isn't even connected. Ham radio is funnily enough a better solution.

Thank you for the clarification: I must have read too quickly, I didn't realize ISPs were down entirely at the time that I posted this. My mistake.

Re: Egypt has shut off the Internet (update: not everywhere)

#76

Post by alexqgb »

redthrowaway wrote: post #19
electromagnetic wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> because a video like that can be like pouring gasoline on a fire. The question is who gave them the right to starve the fire? The internet is merely communication. If you can't deal with your populace communicating, even in a troubled time then you're already at your death-knell. The danger here is that if the government steps in to tell me I'm not allowed to show someone a video of an abuse of power, then I'm goin…

I'd say Iran managed to show that brutal repression can be pretty damned effective at propping up a regime that couldn't survive the free flow of ideas.

One big difference is that Iran's Revolutionary Guard isn't directly financed by the US State Department to the tune of $1.6 billion. That dollar amount is becoming increasingly public here in the US.

If the Police in Egypt start running around with machetes and hunting down dissidents to murder them like they did in Iran, the American government is going to have a hard time maintaining the completely bullshit "Mubarak is our Partner in Peace" line.

That's doubly true when you consider the obscene amount of blood and treasure poured into Iraq under the premise that the US is "investing in Arab democracy."

Re: Egypt has shut off the Internet (update: not everywhere)

#77

Post by hoprocker »

moomba wrote: post #66

Looks like Egypt shut off arabist.net for me. Kind of strange that the site is down now.

arabist.net has a NYC-based IP address, looks like it's hosted on squarespace. I don't want to get all conspiracy-theorist, but is it possible that SS got pressured into shutting it down?

Re: Egypt has shut off the Internet (update: not everywhere)

#79

Post by wladimir »

jerf wrote: post #40
Zak wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Passing a law like that means they'll put in the infrastructure to actually do it. If things deteriorate significantly in the US, it is likely that attempting to gain the ability to shut down the internet would directly trigger some sort of civil unrest while now it only triggers angry blog posts.

I am at a loss as to what this additional infrastructure really permits that having lots of armored men with guns does not. Armored men with guns are a flexible bunch, they can do lots of things. The marginal distinction to the person in power between pressing a button and ordering other people to go shut the net down is pretty minimal; it's not like without this switch, the President is going to actually have go out…

Because to have armed men shooting the place up, it actually takes loyal people, a functioning hierarchy, guns, and a lot of planning. However, if suitable infrastructure is in place, theoretically spoken, even a lone tyrant could push a button and make it happen. That's the danger...

Also, an 'internet switch' could selectively filter, it could allow the communication of one faction but not the other.

Re: Egypt has shut off the Internet (update: not everywhere)

#80

Post by jseliger »

redthrowaway wrote: post #19
electromagnetic wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> because a video like that can be like pouring gasoline on a fire. The question is who gave them the right to starve the fire? The internet is merely communication. If you can't deal with your populace communicating, even in a troubled time then you're already at your death-knell. The danger here is that if the government steps in to tell me I'm not allowed to show someone a video of an abuse of power, then I'm goin…

I'd say Iran managed to show that brutal repression can be pretty damned effective at propping up a regime that couldn't survive the free flow of ideas.

Over the short term, yes. But Iran has a history of revolutions: IIRC, a revolution in 1920s brought down an old monarchy, the Shahs went back and forth for a while (sometimes with US aid), and the "Islamic" revolution of 1979 that most Americans are used to. In other words, Iran is due for another revolution, which is one of the stronger arguments against bombing the country (and which we might have to do anyway, though I, like all sane people, hope not: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/08/the-poin... ).
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