The last, but not the least invention of the Egypt revolution is Country-wide Internet blackout. Local authorities cut the Internet shortly after they realized the way riots were coordinated. Local authorities used their influence to successfully convince 5 major ISP’s to shut Internet down. Technically speaking, all routes leading to Egypt were erased from the global routing table (Here is more details).
The simultaneous nature if the blackout means it was prepared before it’s happened, by every ISP separately. Consequentially, the same operation may be already prepared for any country around the globe. Hence, if you are about to start revolution, do not rely on the Internet unless it belongs to you, or unless ISP’s are on your side.
Another important conclusion about the event is telecommunications and media are closer related to a government than an army in some countries. For example in Egypt army took a side of rioting people, but ISP’s instead continued their Internet blockade. I can’t understand how it’s possible for few companies to be more loyal to the government than the entire Egypt army. What benefits does government bring to the companies? What level does their cooperation have? These questions are to be answered.
The effect of the blackout are to be calculated. Nobody knows what happens when you disconnect 80 M people. Nobody knows yet how effective it was. Nobody knows where and when it happen next. The event brings shock and raises many questions.
31 of January 2011, Friday was a day telecommunications raised in personal weapon effectiveness chart.
I am continuing to share my impressions about the current revolution in Egypt. Another invention of it – online riots coordination. It has been originated in Tunisia, where riots were coordinated via Twitter. In Egypt it went a step forward. As I understood from the public information sources, all kinds of social web services were involved into the information exchange.
Previously, proper coordination was available to an army and a governments only, but now with Web 2.0 it became available to everybody. It is a big step forward towards expansion of the ordinary people’s power, bringing more possibilities of delegating a power to people and cutting power from a government. More precisely, it’s a big possibility to make a big step towards democratic society.
Currently the importance of the Web is seen by the governments all over the world. Hence, I expect more control over the Web. The authorities are taking over the Web for a while already, and they’ll continue. Currently web became a subject of a real hazard to public authority, hence I expect raising degree of control over the Internet. I do not even know in which way yet.
Talking about web in this way, It is hard not to mention that Internet and Web particularly are greatest tools of providing freedom to people. Everybody has to protect the freedom of the Web as his own freedom.
First time in the history, the revolution was not inspired by a charismatic leader, but was a result of discussions on the web. Growing dissatisfaction of Egyptian people was published in their blogs and heavily discussed, until exploded. The decision to go to the streets was taken on-line on a Fecebook and heavily supported.
Another distinctive property of the Egypt revolution is a social class who moved the activities. The revolution was initially made not by a working class, but a middle class. Firstly, it’s unusual for well-satisfied middle class to rage against the existing social system. Secondly, the whole picture of a middle class having no leader inspiring army and a working class to make revolution looks much more wise and fair than a dictated working class throwing down existing government to set their authority-desiring leader.
It reveals a whole new hope for a brand new social culture, when countries are ruled by decentralized well-educated society instead of dictators. By the way, this is called Democracy. Feel the difference to current forms of social orders called “Democracies” (hello, US, privet Russia).
