Egypt's Net Ruled By Phone, Not Kill Switch

schliz writes "Judging by the time it took for Egypt to go offline and back online, the Internet Society speculates that the country's connectivity is controlled by a 'series of phone calls', rather than a 'kill switch'. The Government-imposed internet blackout lasted five days, beginning last Friday, and ending on Wednesday."

Comments

'Series of Phone Calls' instead of 'Kill Switch'??

[Anonymous Coward]

WTF is the damn difference? What BS is this statement trying to make? Am I supposed to feel better about the pending 'Kill Switch'?

it's a figure of speech

[outsider007]

I think some people are imagining a light switch. Next to a red nuke button and a bat phone.

Re:it's a figure of speech

[sir1real]

This is a common misunderstanding. It's a giant pull switch with the word INTERNET spelled out in big letters on top. You have to break the glass panel that surrounds it before pulling the switch.

Re:it's a figure of speech

[AvitarX]

Exactly, the law wants to legalize in the US exactly what happened in Egypt. It will be a series of calls still. Currently though, if the President calls Level 3 and says, stop your series of tubes from flowing, Level 3 may or may not do it, and is not obligated to.

The law would give the president the same power here as in Egypt (with regards to the internet that is).

Re:it's a figure of speech

[Rick17JJ]

I had visualized it being a toggle switch with a flip up safety cover (instead of having to break glass). The safety cover would be there to prevent someone like a janitor from accidentally mistaking it for a light switch.

In addition to the "Internet" label, a warning sign for visitors would say something like "Please do not flip this switch to see what it does."

Re:it's a figure of speech

[Anne Thwacks]

You obviously have no experience of janitors in server rooms.

They somehow feel the need to lift the glass and remove the dust from inside. (Since they don't normally read English, the warning label does not help.)

Yes I did work in the lab where the cleaner unplugged the Vax (mainframe) to plug in the (Vax) floor polisher. Sure there was a sign saying "Only for Vax", but just when you make something foolproof, God makes a bigger fool.

Glancing at the summary

[SquirrelDeth]

I first noticed the following two phrases "time it took" and "series of phone calls" the first thing that popped in my head was "WTF they still have dial-up"? Which made me do a double take and read part of the article and waste some time.

Re:Hardly matters...

[Kokuyo]

What it does mean is that the discussion about a kill-switch is moot. In most countries, only a handful of organizations run international backbones. Just about every country could take the net down in such a fashion.

A literal kill-switch might just work a bit faster.

Long-term economic damage

[noidentity]

The Government-imposed internet blackout lasted five days, beginning last Friday, and ending on Wednesday.

...and the economic damage will last much longer. What company would want to have its operations in Egypt when it might have its net connection broken for days at the whim of the ruling power?

Re:Long-term economic damage

[gl4ss]

internet connectivity is the least of the worries of the companies with professionals in egypt right now.

the business implications from the internet drop are also minimal compared to the revolt in total, it's not like they could have worked anyways. economically that affect is also quite minimal when contrasted with the fact that cairo is pillaged and looting has been widespread and people are in a general strike, or would be if they had the option of going to work(those with jobs to begin with). "sorry I'm having trouble taking your call because bricks are being thrown at the window".

Pictures from Egypt

[Skylinux]

Check out these links for some truly cool pictures. These pictures speak to me and show me the pain and suffering of the Egyptian people.
But they are also some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen because they show people fighting to change their lives.

Feb 03 http://totallycoolpix.com/2011/02/egypt-protests-anti-mubarak-vs-pro-mubarak-riots/

Jan 30 http://totallycoolpix.com/2011/01/the-egypt-protests-part-2/

Jan 28 http://totallycoolpix.com/2011/01/the-egypt-protests/

That stone ... three different languages.

[niftymitch]

Oh Egypt... a land where your words were lost but for a small stone
with three versions take heart.

Take pictures, document them. 8.5x11 glossy with a
PARAGRAPH of writing on the back tells us the truth
as you see it. Small pictures well selected are good.

Do not listen to CCN or FOX...
For one that twit Pierce what is his name is getting tiresome in his
bias and bating of "guests". Guests that may now feel
abused and more hostage than guest.

Spam

[talsemgeest]

In other news, spam out of Egypt almost completely ceased during the internet blackout!

Button? More like a hand lever...

[cdp0]

Stupid people! Why would you think it's a button ?!
It's Egypt after all (Pyramids, Sphinx etc), surely it has to be a hand lever or something similar.

Re:'Series of Phone Calls' instead of 'Kill Switch

[icebraining]

That's what a kill switch is. It's a law that enables the head of the state to shut down parts of the internet without judicial oversight.

Re:'Series of Phone Calls' instead of 'Kill Switch

[RobertLTux]

"And btw, you have been selected for a random IRS audit. Long version"
or even worse the "Deep Forensics" version
because you know that they will find something you are not correct on.

Dem Treasury Boys iz a ruff bunch y'all dunna want to mess with dem.

Re:Decentralize, everyone routes and multiple link

[dave420]

And when are they going to set this up? Who is going to maintain it? How will they afford it? Will these people have enough time left over to live their lives?

Re:'Series of Phone Calls' instead of 'Kill Switch

[CohibaVancouver]

The fact that a government functionary can pick up the phone, say, "Shut down your network" and be complied with without the slightest hesitation doesn't say a thing about technology, but it teaches us a lot about the nature of government, and perhaps makes it a little clearer to those of us in the outside world just what the pro-democracy protesters were willing to risk their lives for

+1

This is another example of why I get p1ssed off when people refer to the USA as a "police state" (I'm Canadian). People who use this term so loosely really have no idea what living in a police state truly means - It means the internet being shut off with a few phone calls, something that wouldn't happen in the USA without court orders, time, and much protest. To use the term "police state" to refer to nations like the USA belittles the risks people in true police states are actually taking..

Re:Decentralize, everyone routes and multiple link

[StuartHankins]

Vendors won't cooperate with this. They want exclusivity to their customers. They don't have the same ideology.

Re:'Series of Phone Calls' instead of 'Kill Switch

[davester666]

Yes, given how the Dept of Justice has shown how they will interpret existing laws w.r.t. torture, detaining terrorist suspects, violations of how NSL's must be used, rendition of non-combatants, etc..., there is 100% likelihood that they [as in, the command structure under the President] already have a legal opinion saying they already have the power to order any and/or all parts of the internet shutdown.