Courtney Radsch in Slate on Why Disconnecting the Russian Internet Is a Bad Idea

Ukraine wants to kick Russia off the internet – it is a terribly idea, CMDS Fellow Courtney Radsch writes in a new piece for Slate.

She looks at the potential consequences of Ukraine’s request sent to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to shut down Russian-administered domain names and root servers in the country; to revoke Russia’s control of its top-level domain name system root servers; and to revoke the digital signatures that authenticate domain names.

ICANN rejected Ukraine’s request but if it were to comply, it would mean shutting down some 5 million domains including those belonging to local news outlets, nongovernmental organizations, and civic groups, Courtney Radsch writes. It would silence independent news outlets, worsening access to reliable news for Russians. It would also make it very difficult for locals to express themselves and provide an alternative to state propaganda.

Further, it would set a dangerous precedent, possibly leading to an irreparable fragmentation of the global internet, catalyzing a shift to “splinternets.”

She argues it would also undermine decades of work to develop global internet policy and accountability mechanisms.

It is better for geopolitics and content moderation … to remain at the application level rather than risk further undermining an open, interoperable internet,

she concludes.

Image: Erik McIean / Unsplash