“Control of the internet is increasingly
part of any modern conflict.
First, they tried to ban access to
some news sites, social networks and messaging services. Then, as activists
bypassed those curbs with software that masked their locations, the authorities
shut down almost all connectivity in the country.
The moves added uncertainty to an
already dire situation. After payment apps and point-of-sale machines used to
swipe debit cards went down, lengthy lines formed at A.T.M.s as Kazakhs rushed
to get cash. Families could not communicate with loved ones. Taxi drivers who relied
on ride-hailing apps said they stopped driving because they could not connect
with passengers.
“It was impossible to communicate,”
said Darkhan Sharipov, 32, an accountant who was part of the protests. “The
lack of information multiplied the chaos and disinformation.”
The scenes in Kazakhstan offer a
preview of what may unfold in Ukraine, where the internet could
be one of the first targets of the Russian military in a potential conflict.
Ukrainian and Western officials have warned that cyberassaults could be part of
any Russian intrusion.
When
Kazakhstan’s internet was mostly shut down
While internet traffic in the
country normally ebbs and flow each day, officials brought it to a near halt
for many hours between Jan. 5 and 10.
This week, the Ukrainian government
said the websites of two banks, its Ministry of Defense and its armed forces
had been briefly taken offline by a series of denial-of-service attacks, in
which huge amounts of traffic overwhelm a network. The attacks were the largest in the country’s history,
Ukrainian officials said, and “bore traces of foreign intelligence services.”
On Thursday, internet service
outages were recorded on some mobile networks in eastern Ukraine near the
Russian border.
“In the event of a real military
conflict, it is the internet infrastructure that will be destroyed in the first
place,” said Mikhail Klimarev, a Russia telecommunications expert and the
executive director of the Internet Protection Society, a civil society group
opposed to internet censorship.
“In Kazakhstan, the internet was
turned off by order of the authorities,” he said. “In Ukraine, we fear that the
internet will be disabled by shelling.”
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Control of the internet is
increasingly part of any modern conflict. Recognizing that the web is vital for
communications, economics and propaganda, authorities have used shutdowns more and more to
stifle dissent and maintain power, in what is akin to holding energy sources,
water or supply lines hostage.
In 2020, there were at least 155
internet shutdowns across 29 countries, according to the latest annual report
from Access Now, an international nonprofit group that monitors these events.
From January to May 2021, at least 50 shutdowns were documented in 21
countries.
They included in Yemen, where
Saudi-led forces targeted the country’s telecom and internet infrastructure in
the war there, according to Access Now. In November, Sudan’s leaders turned off
the internet for nearly a month in response to protests. And in Burkina Faso,
the government ordered telecom companies to turn off mobile internet networks
for more than a week in November, citing national security concerns.
“The only way to be absolutely sure
that nobody is getting online is to pull the plug on everything,” said Doug
Madory, director of internet analysis for Kentik, a telecom services company.
In Ukraine, any internet shutdown
would have to be done by an outside force, which is different from the case in
Kazakhstan, where the government used national security laws to force companies
to cut off connections.
Taking down the Ukrainian internet
completely would be cumbersome. The country has more than 2,000 internet
service providers, all of which would need to be blocked for a full shutdown.
Max Tulyev, the owner of NetAssist,
a small internet service provider in Ukraine, said his company had made
preparations. To keep service going during a conflict, NetAssist has
established links to other internet network operators and tried to route
connections around common locations that could be attractive military targets,
he said. It has also set up a backup network center and purchased satellite
phones so employees can communicate if networks go down.
“As Ukraine is well integrated into
the internet, with a lot of different physical and logical links, it will be
very hard to disconnect it completely,” said Mr. Tulyev, who is on the board of
the Ukrainian Internet Association.
Still, many expect targeted
blackouts, particularly in Russian-Ukrainian border areas, if there is war.
Cyberattacks or a military attack could kill connectivity.
On Thursday evening, as fighting flared in eastern Ukraine
near the front line with Russia-backed separatists, cellphone service went down
in what authorities said was “targeted sabotage.” It was restored by Friday
morning.
“Sabotage of communications
facilities will continue,” said Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian
minister of internal affairs. “All this is part of Russia’s plan to destabilize
the situation in Ukraine.”
In many countries, turning off the
internet completely is not technically difficult. Regulators simply issue an
order to telecom companies, telling them to shut off access or risk losing
their license.
In Kazakhstan, the events last month
illustrate how an internet shutdown can exacerbate a chaotic situation. The
technical roots of the shutdown go back to at least 2015, when the country
tried to emulate its neighbors China and
Russia, which have for years practiced internet censorship. Authorities in
those countries have developed methods for snooping on communications and built
armies of hackers and trolls that can target opponents.
Last year, Russia slowed Twitter
traffic during protests related to the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a
delay that has continued. China has built an arm of the police to arrest those
who speak out online and commands thousands of volunteers who post positive
comments to cheer on government initiatives.
The Kazakh authorities tried developing
similar technical tools for surveillance and censorship without severing the
key connections necessary for its economy to function, according to civil
society groups and activists.
Last month, Kazakhstan plunged into
disarray as anger over rising fuel prices grew into broad demonstrations,
leading to a Russian-led military intervention.
As the government cracked down, the protests turned violent. Dozens of antigovernment
demonstrators were killed, and hundreds more were injured.
To prevent protesters from
communicating and sharing information, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan’s
president, turned to a digital scorched-earth policy akin to one in Myanmar last year that took
the entire internet offline. In Myanmar, the military staged a coup, and
soldiers took over the data centers run by the country’s telecom companies.
In Myanmar and Kazakhstan, the lack
of internet heightened the confusion. In the event of a conflict in Ukraine,
that added confusion would be a part of the point, Mr. Klimarev said.
“Destroy the internet of your enemy,
and it will be disorganized,” he said. “Banks, supply systems and logistics,
transport and navigation will stop working.”
In Kazakhstan, the internet
shutdowns began around Jan. 2 and lasted until Jan. 10. At first, they were
limited to certain communications and targeted at areas where there were
protests, said Arsen Aubakirov, a digital rights expert in Kazakhstan.
By Jan. 5, internet monitors said
the country had gone almost completely offline, battering the country’s
economy, including its sizable cryptocurrency
operations.
The Ministry of Digital Development,
Innovation and Aerospace Industry ordered telecom operators to block access,
citing a law that allowed the government to suspend networks and communication
services in the interest of “ensuring antiterrorist and public security.”
While activists found some ways to circumvent the blocks,
the lack of internet meant many demonstrators did not know when the government
imposed new curfews, leading to violent clashes with the police, said Mr.
Sharipov, who was detained by the authorities for protesting. While the
internet was down, state-run media labeled the demonstrators “terrorists” and
drug users.
“This is another example of a
country in turmoil opting to shut the internet down to buy them a few hours of
lack of public or international scrutiny,” Mr. Madory said.”
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