How the Mubarak government caused an internet blackout in Egypt
FEB 17, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025066
New York Times : During the recent turmoil in Egypt, in a span of minutes just after midnight on 28 January, a technologically advanced, densely wired country with more than 20 million people online was essentially severed from the global internet for a span of five days. Because the internet’s legendary robustness and ability to route around blockages are part of its basic design, even the world’s most renowned network and telecommunications engineers have been perplexed that the Mubarak government succeeded in pulling the maneuver off. The event also raised concerns among the worldwide technical community that with unrest coursing through the Middle East, other autocratic governments could follow suit. In the New York Times, James Glanz and John Markoff give an in-depth look at how Egypt disappeared from the internet.
© 2011 American Institute of Physics
