Egypt Shows How Easily Internet Can Be Silenced

[Sola_Fide]

http://m.cnbc.com/id/41311587


The move by Egyptian authorities to seal off the country almost entirely from the Internet shows how easily a state can isolate its people when telecoms providers are few and compliant.

[Sola_Fide]

This may very well be our future here in the US.

All it takes is another declared disaster.

[Anti Federalist]

compliant.

What was that word again???

[Philhelm]

What was that word again???

Stop resisting! Stop resisting! Stop resisting!

[Romulus]

You know, if they did have the internet, that would probably keep more people off the streets. lol

[BlackTerrel]

It's not nearly as easy in the US. They couldn't do it now.

However keep in mind that Joe Lieberman is proposing legislation that would give them that ability.

[LibForestPaul]

I believe it is as easy to pull the plug, at least at high level, in the US. There are not that many companies handling Internet backbones. There are not that many TLD servers. Regional may be a little trickier, but closing the pipes overseas, and closing the pipes interstate, s/b relatively easy.

Though doing so in US may be very costly for business.

Hopefully, some patriotic white hats are already investigating this scenario.

[pcosmar]

And yet information is getting out, and in.

Phone networks are keeping communications. So far.

@bencnn: Widely believed hated #Egypt police force playing part in the chaos and looting. they've abandoned their posts, civilian clothes

Folks are forming local defense. protecting from looting.

The people are keeping the peace.

[Carson]

It didn't take them long to find new ways to express themselves!

[PeacePlan]

Obama Can Shut Down Internet For 4 Months Under New Emergency Powers (http://www.prisonplanet.com/obama-can-shut-down-internet-for-4-months-under-new-emergency-powers.html)


Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com (http://www.prisonplanet.com/)
Friday, June 25, 2010
President Obama will be handed the power to shut down the Internet for at least four months without Congressional oversight if the Senate votes for the infamous Internet ‘kill switch’ bill, which was approved by a key Senate committee yesterday and now moves to the floor.

The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act (http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=42926cbe-76fd-4eeb-a08b-d7838a4aae8f), which is being pushed hard by Senator Joe Lieberman, would hand absolute power to the federal government to close down networks, and block incoming Internet traffic from certain countries under a declared national emergency.

Despite the Center for Democracy and Technology and 23 other privacy and technology organizations sending letters to Lieberman and other backers of the bill expressing concerns that the legislation could be used to stifle free speech, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed in the bill in advance of a vote on the Senate floor.

In response to widespread criticism of the bill, language was added that would force the government to seek congressional approval to extend emergency measures beyond 120 days. Still, this would hand Obama the authority to shut down the Internet on a whim without Congressional oversight or approval for a period of no less than four months.


The Senators pushing the bill rejected the claim that the bill was a ‘kill switch’ for the Internet, not by denying that Obama would be given the authority to shut down the Internet as part of this legislation, but by arguing that he already had the power to do so.


They argued “That the President already had authority under the Communications Act to “cause the closing of any facility or station for wire communication” when there is a “state or threat of war”, reports the Sydney Morning Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/obama-internet-kill-switch-bill-approved-20100625-z8sf.html).


http://www.prisonplanet.com/obama-can-shut-down-internet-for-4-months-under-new-emergency-powers.html

Old article but you can see the planing is there.....

[Carson]

I believe it is as easy to pull the plug, at least at high level, in the US. There are not that many companies handling Internet backbones. There are not that many TLD servers. Regional may be a little trickier, but closing the pipes overseas, and closing the pipes interstate, s/b relatively easy.

Though doing so in US may be very costly for business.

Hopefully, some patriotic white hats are already investigating this scenario.

I've heard it the Internet was designed to withstand a nuclear attack. It is a web of interconnected links that should make any one link redundant.

I suppose nothing is fool proof. :-)

[lester1/2jr]

it's an america-israeli company called narus that desgins this internet spying stuff for dictators. nice business

[ctiger2]

Here's how you bypass it ~ Modems!

How to Foil a Nationwide Internet Shutdown
http://lifehacker.com/5746046/how-to-foil-a-nationwide-internet-shutdown

[Dreamofunity]

I don't think it would be as easy in the U.S. as it was in Egypt. Egypt only has a small population on the internet, most are poor and uneducated. Compared that, where a largely poor and uneducated population can get past shut downs and still get information out, to the nerds in the U.S. I'm sure we could find a way to get past any shut down.

[lester1/2jr]

no no internet is very big in egypt. everyones on facebook, it's the only social life they are able to have, basically.

[Dreamofunity]

no no internet is very big in egypt. everyones on facebook, it's the only social life they are able to have, basically.

I thought I heard the percentage of the population that uses the internet was relatively small on Al-J, but I could have heard it wrong. Either way, I'd still make the case that it'd be a lot harder to shut down the internet in the U.S. than Egypt.

We have MIT nerds and what not.

[Romulus]

internet = free market. And this is what happens when you take away the last part of freedom under a dictatorship.

[TNforPaul45]

Our government already has a kill-switch to the internet. They are just asking for permission to tell you about it.

Their philosophy is "Act first, apologize later..........................for acting again."

[Pericles]

I've heard it the Internet was designed to withstand a nuclear attack. It is a web of interconnected links that should make any one link redundant.

I suppose nothing is fool proof. :-)
That was before the commercial dependence on the NET and major TELCOs forming the current backbone. The real problem now is that any decent small sizen carrier with decent pipes to plug into gets bought by one of the majors. Without a small nationwide provider of links, we have to go back to the model of network of networks.

[FunkBuddha]

Fidonet FTW!

[Sola_Fide]

Our government already has a kill-switch to the internet. They are just asking for permission to tell you about it.

Their philosophy is "Act first, apologize later..........................for acting again."

Oh I'm sure you are right about this.

[susano]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v644/Omphalo/VTut.jpg

[susano]

"My friend Yousry is in his late twenties. He and his wife would be considered affluent because they live in Zamalek. But like so many others, because all barriers of class have fallen away—he has been on the streets for the last 48 hours. He just returned home in Zamalek after patrolling the streets of the neighborhood with his prized Syrian sword that used to just hang up as souvenir in their living room. He had never thought he would have to take it off the wall and actually try to use it to defend his neighbors and his family...I have spent the last half an hour with him talking from his landline at home. This is his powerful account un-edited by me...Yousry is one of those citizens in the middle of the chaos who reporters are not talking to as much as they need to.

Here he is in his own words, un-edited and certainly not talking in soundbites. (I have spent some time cleaning up my hurried note taking and as much grammar/punctuation corrections I could make to that). His voice sounds very hoarse-I feel guilty but press him on anyway. It sounds like he has inhaled way too much smoke and tear-gas.

Me: Yousry how are you and please if its not asking too much can you just start talking about everything you saw and are feeling...

Y: Ha Ha! That is funny. OK here goes. BTW I am having some Scotch now. I think I need it Yaani. I was in the protest all day yesterday and I started at 6th of October bridge—you remember? You were here so many times—it’s just a short walk from Zamalek?

Me: Of course I remember and btw yesterday all day the Al Jazeera reporter had his cameraperson focused on the bridge-so we basically saw it all live. He had a running commentary throughout.

...Y: Yes yalla! No one from the Ikhwan was there or any of the organized political parties. It was about 1:30 pm or so I think. Even if any of us picked up a rock to throw at the police everyone yelled Selmya! Selmya (*Selmya is peaceful) and Parvez believe me that till before this bastard gave his speech yesterday that was the word I heard most often on the streets. We were peaceful till 4 or 4:30 I think. Then these police ****ers started shooting these pellets and it suddenly became very difficult to control the injured protesters or their friends. I think the violence must have started around 5 pm--I was not keeping track of time—was not wearing my watch and phone was in my pocket, not working anyway

Me: Were you hit?

Y: Almost but Inshaallah it just went by me. And then these guys pretty close to me and hurt started throwing molotovs. I didn’t even know till then that they had them. They started stopping cars…

M: And the police?

Y: You must understand this…its important because its been a mix of these thugs and cops since yesterday—most of the thug types who are doing most of the attacks are prisoners who have been released by that bastard Mubarak in return for their services to beat up civilians

Me: And the army?

Y: Till then there was no army—and then when finally they came and people cheered this one tank—it looked liked they were hesitant to use force. I actually came back home after the violence started—just walked back on 6th of October past these guys setting a police van on fire. I have a wife, family to think of.

...Me: Hey a lot of guys here have been saying that this revolution is all about the success of social networking? I mean I guess up to a point they are right because someone like me sitting here is tweeting obsessively with updates I am getting from anyone I can reach on a landline really—but is this true?

Y: Its bullshit…I mean I agree that in the beginning around the 25th twitter did play some kind of role because people were able to throw around ideas on it—but come on—even that! How many ****ing people in Cairo you think would know how to use the damn thing or even the damn internet—and even if they knew how many do you think would have easy access to a computer with a reliable internet connection? I mean, its bullshit…

...Y: Tayyib ofcourse yaani—you see now since yesterday and even Thursday actually after they shut it all down—it is self explanatory-- it doesn’t matter anymore---twitter and all that shit—no one has it anyway. I guess maybe some journalist types can still do it? I have no idea on how to get on the ****ing internet and I am pretty good at this shit—so if I don’t know—how can others be tweeting--so everywhere u go Parvez today there are thousands of people now its come to that…All of Tahrir has been filled with so many people—I have never seen so many people—Tanks were standing at the entrance of Tahrir facing each other as I walked towards it today—All I could hear was this amazing chant that made me so ****ing happy—“Alshab Aldesh Eid Wahada” you know…it means “The people and the soldiers are one…”

...: and ya today you know I felt Muslim Brotherhood presence for first time—these are what we call the beards you know—they made their way to the front of the protest near me where students were leading—and this elderly man in his 60’s was holding up a flag–he started chanting Allahu Akbar—and the students started
“Muslameen Mesiheen Kolina Masreen” you know… “Muslims Christians we are all Egyptians”

...Y: The looting in my view is so ****ing disappointing man…and then to see how quickly the cops who are still wearing uniform disappeared…I mean, you know that so many of those bastards are now pretending to be civilians and walking amongst all of us…bloody traitors….My theory is simple really…The Army and Police have left the country wide open you know---I feel it was deliberate---they are proving that if you guys want democracy and you want the President to go--- then this is what will happen without us…only we have protected you all these years…without us and him you are not safe and will never be safe…This is political blackmail…Everyone is sure that the police is doing all the looting…Egyptians are not stupid and I know that there are so many rumours…I hear a new one every 5 minutes…but I am sure that the police are behind the looting…

...Y: Well at 10:30 when I was out with my sword…remember the sword?...a few army commandoes came to protect the American embassy compound you know…you know its just walking distance from here…it was a ****ing joke…here we are all walking around barricading ourselves…and these guys arrive to the American compound to save the Americans? And guess what… I was standing there so I asked the guard outside if there were any Americans inside…and guess what man…he said they had all left between Thursday and Friday! What a ****ing joke! There are no Americans left to protect and they show up to protect them while they have abandoned us?"
__________________


SaleemaGul: RT @Mondoweiss: Eyewitness: Egyptian army rushes to protect empty American compound while Cairo burns http://bit.ly/fi8aKZ #egypt #jan25
Saturday, January 29, 2011 7:21:25 PM

[tangent4ronpaul]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v644/Omphalo/VTut.jpg

+1

[Sentinelrv]

So what about all the businesses in Egypt that rely on the internet for their livelihood? Are they all just out of luck at this point? Besides all the riots, I imagine this must be doing some widespread damage to their economy.

[Anti Federalist]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v644/Omphalo/VTut.jpg

Awesome pic.