Dear JWR:
In response to the posting by Tamara W., I would like like to furnish an addendum. The post references an “Internet Kill Switch” which has recently been signed into law. As I am sure that you and most of your Internet savvy readers are aware, there are two distinct ways that the PTB (Powers That Be) can “kill” the Internet. The first is relatively trivial. This is by corrupting or otherwise disabling the DNS (Domain Name Server) system where human readable URL’s (Universal Resource Locator) such as SurvivalBlog.com are translated into computer readable IP (Internet Protocol) addresses such as 64.92.111.146. Since this is a trivial “kill”, the solution is also trivial, as that described by Tamara W. The solution is to simply bypass the “block” by bypassing the translation from URL to IP address.
This process can be likened to the common phone system. If one wants to call Joe Blow, you simply look up in the “directory” for the phone number of Joe Blow, and get the response (412) 555-1234. The trivial “block” is to prevent one getting the correct phone number for Joe Blow. And likewise, the trivial solution is to already know the correct phone number for Joe Blow, and to “dial” this number directly.
A much more effective “block” is to prevent the “switches” between you and your destination from working. In the Internet, these “switches” are known as routers. If one was to “kill” the routers, the Internet is effectively killed. In the same vein, if your phone companies’ directory services was “killed”, you could still dial the correct number, but if the telephone company local switching office was “down”, you ain’t going nowhere.
As a disciple of Sun Tzu, I refuse to underestimate my opponent. As such, I am fairly certain that their attempt to “kill” the Internet won’t be limited to simply disabling the DNS system, but will also include shutting down the routers as well. The only “solution” is to develop a communication system which does not depend on infrastructure that is beyond your control. Currently the only option is amateur radio, where the entire communication path is under the “control” of those doing the communication. – NC Bluedog