This blog is a complement to Georgetown University's COSC-011 Introduction to Information Privacy.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Egypt Disconnected
Image courtesy of Craig Labovitz - the chief scientist at Arbor Networks.
Egypt's ability to cut itself of from the Internet helps demonstrates that nation-states still do have some ability to control the free flow of information in the digital age.
The Wired article (http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/egypt-isp-shutdown/) mentions that one provider (Noor Group) is still active. However, it says this provider is just "providing connectivity to Egypt’s stock exchange and some government ministries." An acquaintance's parents live in Cairo and work for an exploratory oil firm. They were able to access the internet from the office, implying that either this firm also uses the Noor Group or that it has some other method of connectivity.
The graph alone is quite shocking. It definitely brings to mind an almost Nazi-regime like state where critical lines of communication can be completely shut off
In my spare time I am an Adjunct Professor in the Computer Science Department at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. This blog chronicles our class discussion and applies theories of Information Privacy and Security to everyday events.
2 comments:
The Wired article (http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/egypt-isp-shutdown/) mentions that one provider (Noor Group) is still active. However, it says this provider is just "providing connectivity to Egypt’s stock exchange and some government ministries." An acquaintance's parents live in Cairo and work for an exploratory oil firm. They were able to access the internet from the office, implying that either this firm also uses the Noor Group or that it has some other method of connectivity.
The graph alone is quite shocking. It definitely brings to mind an almost Nazi-regime like state where critical lines of communication can be completely shut off
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