Article

2008-04-20 Science & Technology

In cyberspace they can't hear you scream

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Posted by ryuge 2008-04-20 08:58|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 There is an interesting theory gaining momentum that the Internet may self-destruct or be destroyed, with endless possibilities as to why.

To start with, the Internet is intrinsically erosive to authoritarianism. And since there is no government that is not in some way authoritarian, there is a progressive desire to *stop* the Internet. The more authoritarian the government, the more it seeks equally destructive control of the Internet.

To compound the problem, those facets of government which are authoritarian seeks to use the Internet to expand their control, and also as an aggressive means to attack external enemies.

Add to this that there are many corporations that seek some means of controlling at least part of the Internet for their own advantage. Just as much to undermine their competition as to give themselves a competitive advantage.

The hardware and software vulnerabilities of the Internet boil down to a lack of conformity and the skills needed to maintain the system as a system.

That is, computer users with little security are regularly subverted to attack more secure sites. And since much of the Internet is based on trust, if the trust is violated at a higher level of the infrastructure, major chaos can result.

But could an event, or a series of events, actually destroy the Internet? That is, make it unusable? Importantly, this should not be confused with destroying the world's communication systems, such as telephony.

Individual users are reliant on their ISPs, that are in turn reliant on nodes and hubs for the smooth flow of information.

But there are an increasing numbers of ways in which not just obstructions that can be detoured around, but complete collapses, so that data cannot flow at all through the system, can happen.

And even though much of the world's telephony is independent of the Internet, and increasing amount is tied in with it as well.

So after a critical event, or a cascade of events, there might be a collapse of the Internet. Nobody can reconnect without reinforcing the obstructions, though endless millions of computers keep trying. Internet reliant systems around the world stop working as well, compounding the problem.

The governments step in to take complete control of the system. And this is the defining moment when the Internet stops being about the free flow of information. Every authoritarian part of every government in the world will want controls over the system, effectively making it unusable.

Corporations as well will assert the "need", through lobbyists, to prohibit things like copyright violation, content control, censorship, and elaborate and prohibitively expensive fees and taxes.

In essence, restricting the use of the Internet to only government and corporate use.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-04-20 10:46|| 2008-04-20 10:46|| Front Page Top

#2 Interesting. Is this the first publication of the theory? I'd really like to read more on this. Thank you.

Posted by George Smiley 2008-04-20 12:58|| 2008-04-20 12:58|| Front Page Top

#3 Talk about the collapse of the Internet usually focuses on hardware and software problems that are technical issues. Technical problems usually have technical solutions. I suggest that the real problem comes from outside the Internet.

Let's say China plans to invade Taiwan. It may decide that the way to do this is to shut down the Internet around the world, and attack during the resultant crisis.

But even a much smaller conflict could be disastrous, if one country orders its hackers to electronically attack another country.

The US would lose billions of dollars by the minute. The pressure to essentially nationalize the Internet would be intense. And just the fear that something might cause this has led the US to make some gestures about taking over ICANN.

For years now, twice a year or more, the technology companies of the US have had to trudge up to Capital Hill to demand that congress NOT do something that would be a technology disaster.

They have to do the same in the EU. Most likely in every major nation on Earth. Any disaster or crisis will have any number of villains waiting in the wings, with any number of agenda driven ideas that could spell disaster.

So let's say the Internet comes to a screeching halt. Is there a "Plan B"? Certainly there are secure intranets outside of the main system, but they are tiny compared to the big enchilada.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-04-20 16:37|| 2008-04-20 16:37|| Front Page Top

#4 Anyone else noticed a partial IPV6 rollout on some of the DNS TLDs?

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2008-04-20 19:28|| 2008-04-20 19:28|| Front Page Top

#5 Compare wid RENSE > CAPITALISM IS CAUSING WORKER DESTITUTION + FAKE "WAR ON TERROR" IS REAL WAR ON US + GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY IS CROSSING A LINE.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-04-20 21:45|| 2008-04-20 21:45|| Front Page Top

#6 I have a lot of friends that I've made over the Internet - people I'd never even met any other way. Shutting down the Internet at THIS POINT would be a propaganda disaster for anyone who tries it. The hue and cry would cause all of Washington to bolt for Canada. If the identity of whoever caused such a shutdown - however temperary - became known, he'd have to emigrate to the most inaccessible portions of Congo or Brazil to escape a lynching. A few in Congress have figured this out. Too few elsewhere have noticed.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2008-04-20 21:57|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2008-04-20 21:57|| Front Page Top

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