My Computer Mechanic

How to Get Internet Access When the Government Shuts You Down

NOTE: This article is not for the technically-challenged. Nevertheless, you may find it interesting!

This headline is not as far-fetched as it may sound if you consider the following: Again this year, US Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) is re-introducing legislation to give the President the "kill switch" which effectively shuts down the Internet in case of a "national emergency." I discussed this legislation back in the June, 2010 newsletter which can be accessed here. And, of course, we are all aware of this very situation occurring just weeks ago in Egypt when that government shut down the Internet for a period of time.

These days, no popular movement goes without an Internet presence of some kind--whether it's a political revolution, organizing yourself or your company on Facebook or Twitter, you need the Internet. Whether you're trying to check in with your family, contact your friends, or simply spread the word, here are a few ways to build some basic network connectivity when you can't rely on your landline Internet or cellular connections.

Do-It-Yourself Internet with Ad-Hoc Wi-Fi

Even if you've managed to find an Internet connection for yourself, it won't be that helpful in reaching out to other if they can't get online to find you. Your best bet could be a wireless mesh network of sorts - essentially a distributed network of wireless networking devices that can all find each other and communicate with each other. Even if none of those devices have a working Internet connection, they can still find each other; this might be all you need. At the moment, wireless mesh networking isn't really anywhere close to being market-ready. However, in the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) XO laptop computer, an implementation of the 802.11S wireless draft standard is included, which includes wireless mesh networking.

A prepared networker with a handful of PCs could make good use of Daihinia, an application that piggybacks on your Wi-Fi adapter driver to turn your normal ad-hoc Wi-Fi network into a multihop ad-hoc network. This means that instead of requiring each device on the network to be within range of the original access point, you simply need to be within range of a device on the network that has Daihinia installed. Advanced freedom fighters can set up a portal Web page on their network that explains the way the setup works, with Daihinia instructions and a local download link so they can spread the network even further. Lastly, just add a Bonjour-compatible chat client like Pidgin or iChat, and you'll be able to talk to your neighbors across the city without needing an Internet connection.

Back to Basics

In the event of a total communications blackout (as we saw in Egypt), you can use your obsolete technology. Simpler tools like dial-up Internet or even ham radio, could still work, since these obsolete technologies aren't being "policed" nearly as hard.

In order to get around the total shutdown of all the ISPs within Egypt, several international ISPs offered dial-up access to the Internet to get the protesters online since phone service was still operational. It's slow, but it still works - the hard part is getting the access numbers without an Internet connection to find them.

Since dial-up numbers can be fairly easily shut down, your could also try FidoNet - a distributed networking system for BBSes that was popular in the 1980s. FidoNet is limited to sending only simple text messages, and it's slow, but it has two virtues:

1. Users connect asynchronously, so the network traffic is harder to track.

2. Any user can act as the server, which means that even if the government shuts down one number in the network, another one can quickly pop up to take its place.

You can also take inspiration from groups that are working to create ad-hoc communication networks using Ham Radio. My father (W5RC) and brother (K5IIH) were big Ham Radio operators for years. The signals are rarely tracked and extremely hard to shut down or block. Most of these efforts are still getting off the ground. My father joined Jesus in heaven back in 1984, so I think my brother inherited Dad's radio gear. Maybe I'll talk to my brother about setting up one of these networks.

Always Be Prepared

In the land of no Internet connection, the person with dial-up is king. Here are a few gadgets that you could use to prepare for the day they cut the lines.

Given enough time and preparation, your ham radio networks could even be adapted into your own ad-hoc network using Packet Radio, a radio communications protocol that you can use to create simple long-distance wireless networks to transfer text and other messages between computers. Packet Radio is rather slow and not particularly popular, but it's exactly the kind of networking device that would "fly under the radar."

In response to the crisis in Egypt, nerds everywhere (please don't include me in this group!) have risen to call for new and exciting tools for use in the next government-mandated shutdown. Bre Pettis has called for "Apps for the Apocalypse." (http://www.brepettis.com/blog/2011/1/28/apps-for-the-appocolypse.html) including a quick and easy way to set up chats on a local network so you can talk with your friends and neighbors in an emergency even without access to the Internet. If his comments are any indication, Apocalypse apps may be headed our way soon.

Tons of cool tech stuff are just waiting to be retrofitted for these purposes. David Dart's Pirate Box is a one-step local network in a box originally conceived for file sharing and local P2P (Point to Point) purposes, but it wouldn't take too much work to adapt the Pirate Box as a local networking tool able to communicate with other pirate boxes to form a compact, mobile set of local networks in the event of an Internet shutdown.

Whether you're in Egypt or Castle Rock, you rely on your Internet access to stay in touch with friends and family, get your news, and find information you need. Hopefully with these apps, tools, and techniques, you won't have to worry about anyone - even your government - keeping you from doing just that.

Based on the article, "Get Internet Access When Your Government Shuts It Down" by Patrick Miller and David Daw, PC World, January 28, 2011