Michael Mol wrote: > On Sat, Feb 18, 2012 at 10:34 AM, Dale <rdalek1...@gmail.com> wrote: >> Alan McKinnon wrote: >>> On Sat, 18 Feb 2012 06:39:27 -0600 >>> Dale <rdalek1...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> Volker Armin Hemmann wrote: >>>>> Am Samstag, 18. Februar 2012, 06:00:00 schrieb Dale: >>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> I don't really think they can unless they just cut power to all the >>>>>> computers. After all, the internet is supposed to be redundant >>>>>> right? If there is a few computers still running that have a >>>>>> connection, it is still working. Sort of anyway. >>>>>> >>>>>> Does make one wonder tho. They have been talking about having a >>>>>> internet "off switch" but I'm not sure it would be that easy. >>>>> >>>>> basically, yes. Take down the core routers and backbones and >>>>> everything falls apart. >>>>> >>>> >>>> But how long would it take to actually do this? >>>> >>>> Another thing, the Government, especially the military, uses the >>>> internet too. >>> >>> Not quite. They use the same internet *technology* you do, not >>> necessarily the same internet *devices*. >>> >>> >> >> >> What about banks? Credit cards? Heck, even food stamp cards? Would >> phones work? I'm not just thinking about Vonage or Skype either. > > Banks, credit cards, etc. mostly operate on leased lines (Think T1, > T2, T3...) and landlines (point-of-sale vending, though that's > changing. ATMs also operate on landlines, and I don't believe that's > changing.). > > You'd still have access to your money. You'd just have to go to a bank > branch or an ATM. > > This whole thread is full panicked reasoning. The biggest risk we face > is a scenario like Iran or Egypt's, where the government requires > controls on border routers. Most likely, they'd do it at the ISP > level, not at the core router level. That said, they could conceivably > demand core router operators acquiesce to their demands, but the worst > you're likely to see there is some network blocks' being dropped > offline. > > And it's not so easy to take the Internet down with injected BGP > routes any more, either; most network operators apply some sort of > filtering. >
That has been my thinking all along. I don't think it would shut down quietly if it can be done at all. I was just curious as to what we would lose if it did go down. As to the cards, I know when I go to a store that is a Mom and Pop, they use dial-up. They may connect directly to the bank but it dials something. I mostly think two things. 1: The Government would have a very hard time shutting down the internet especially globally. 2: If it did and I was the Pres, I'd go find me a bunker. I can picture pitch forks, torches and some really pissed off people. Dale :-) :-) -- I am only responsible for what I said ... Not for what you understood or how you interpreted my words! Miss the compile output? Hint: EMERGE_DEFAULT_OPTS="--quiet-build=n"
