These Are the 61 Countries Most Vulnerable to an Internet Shutdown
These Are the 61 Countries Most Vulnerable to an Internet Shutdown
For 52 hours last week, Syria joined the small and unfortunate club of countries whose governments have chosen, however briefly, to return their citizens to the digital dark ages. That club, which also includes Egypt and Myanmar, remains small for now. But if you live in any of these five dozen countries, it could happen to you, too.
In the wake of Syria’s digital blackout last week, the networking firm Renesys performed an analysis of which countries are most susceptible to an Internet shutdown, based simply on how many distinct entities control the connections between the country’s networks and those of the outside world. It found that for 61 countries and territories, just one or two Internet service providers maintain all external connections-a situation that could make possible a quick cutoff from the world with a well-placed government order or physical attack.
On Monday, Renesys published its full list of countries and territories at various levels of Internet shutdown risk. And here are the places it put in the “severe risk” category.