Re: Russian government’s disconnection test

Fri Nov 1 23:47:14 UTC 2019

On Fri, 1 Nov 2019, John Von Essen wrote:
> The thing that I always wonder about is the ability for citizens to 
> bypass the restriction via satellite internet nowadays. I guess they 
> need a law to make that illegal too, if found purchasing satellite 
> internet gear, off to the gulag!

Essentially all international telecommunications treaties, including for 
satellites, were originally written during the cold war. Those treaties 
all have ways for sovereign nations to 'revoke' permission to operate in 
their jurisdiction, again including satellite downlinks.

While there will be some leakage, just like during the cold war, my guess 
-- if a sovereign nation invokes those treaty terms it would cut-off 
around 95% to 97% of ordinary public communications from/to that 
territory.

There might be some 'rogue' links, and military/government links that 
aren't cut-off.

Since the Bill Clinton Administration, the U.S. has had an official 
government policy *NOT* to invoke those treaty terms.  But doesn't 
prevent other countries from invoking them.

> On the other hand, if Russia disconnected from the outside world, how 
> would all their trolls and bot farms get any work done?

Already out-sourced to bulletproof hosting providers and so on, around the 
world ... again much like during the cold war.