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Could the internet conceivably be switched off?

63
Tom_Radfordposted 7 years ago
Could the internet conceivably be switched off?

Isn't the internet amazing? Where is it? Who owns it? What was life like without it? Can you even remember? What would happen if it was switched off? Could it be powered down? Is there a backup generator?
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59
Joe Badtoeposted 7 years ago
Maybe it needs to be switched off, for a short while, if only to remind all of us that there is more exciting things happening away from the ether? I'm not aiming a jibe at you here Tom I'm speaking generally.

The whole Facebook, Twitter thing is a bit mindnumbing to me. We're becoming a world of gossipers and rumour spreaders and real conversations with words properly pronounced are becoming extinct (ok an extreme point but you get my drift).

There is no single owner although governments (and google-the company not the product) will tell you different but there are key controllers who have the means to switch it off or severly restrict access if they so choose.

There were reports 3-4 years ago that the amount of traffic would become unsustainable because the technology in use isn't cpable of managing such numbers. This view seems to have receeded somewhat. Ultmately the internet is as susceptible as a telephone. Reliable to a point but open to loss of power.
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