Tracking Internet Shutdown Practices: Democracies and Hybrid Regimes
Patricia Vargas-Leon · Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks · 2016
The open Internet architecture design, formed by the packet switching system, sets the technical aspects of the Internet and keeps it resistant to any form of centralized control. However, for different reasons, democratic and nondemocratic regimes want to control the Internet infrastructure in and out of their own territories. In this context, the most extreme form of control is colloquially known as the “Internet kill switch,” a shutting down of the Internet. This controversial policy has become more common between 2011 and 2015, although the earliest case occurred in 2005. Controversies focus on the fact that whoever shuts down the Internet, also shuts down a communication medium, a space for political debate and a tool for economic production. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.