Choke Points and Kill Switches

[Image: Courtesy of Terremark, via the Atlantic].

Andrew Blum has a short piece up at the Atlantic today about the geography of "internet choke points," and the threat of a "kill switch" that would allow countries (like Egypt) to turn off the internet on a national scale.

After all, Blum writes, "it's worth remembering that the Internet is a physical network," with physical vulnerabilities. "It matters who controls the nodes." Indeed, he adds, "what's often forgotten is that those networks actually have to physically connect—one router to another—often through something as simple and tangible as a yellow-jacketed fiber-optic cable. It's safe to suspect a network engineer in Egypt had a few of them dangling in his hands last night.

Blum specifically refers to a high-security building in Miami owned by Terremark; it is "the physical meeting point for more than 160 networks from around the world," and thus just one example of what Blum calls an internet "choke point." These international networks "meet there because of the building's excellent security, its redundant power systems, and its thick concrete walls, designed to survive a category 5 hurricane. But above all, they meet there because the building is 'carrier-neutral.' It's a Switzerland of the Internet, an unallied territory where competing networks can connect to each other."

But, as he points out, this neutrality is by no means guaranteed—and is even now subject to change.

Comments are moderated.

If it's not spam, it will appear here shortly!


Blogger Alan Wiig said...

If anyone is interested in seeing how these global networks are linked together, "Greg's Cable Map" at http://www.cablemap.info/ is a useful resource. Egypt is at a crossroads of sorts for the global Internet. The Egyptian government could sever telecommunication connections between may other places as well. Thanks for linking to Blum's piece.

January 28, 2011 4:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So much for Switzerland...

NEW YORK and MIAMI, Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- In a move that will decisively reshape the rapidly evolving global business technology solutions market, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) and Terremark Worldwide Inc. (Nasdaq: TMRK) today announced a definitive agreement under which Verizon will acquire Terremark, a global provider of managed IT infrastructure and cloud services, for $19.00 per share in cash, or a total equity value of $1.4 billion.

January 29, 2011 1:30 AM  
Anonymous Ryan Mandell said...

The One Wilshire building ( a similar internet hub located in downtown LA) discussed by Kazys Varnelis and Robert Sumrell in their book, "Blue Monday", comes to mind. That's a fun read for anyone who hasn't already come across it. http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Monday-Stories-Realities-Philosophies/dp/8496540537

February 01, 2011 11:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's important to note that most of the Europe<->Asia Internet traffic travels through Egypt. The network operators there were smart, and didn't disconnect their networks entirely. They simply stopped announcing their existence in the global routing database.

February 02, 2011 7:01 PM  

Post a Comment