What if the internet shut down

Malicious hackers could bring the internet to a standstill by releasing software that aggressively targeted vulnerabilities in routers — the devices that forward internet traffic.

Cutting the deep-sea cables that carry vast volumes of internet traffic between continents would also cause significant disruptions by disconnecting one part of the world from another. These cables may not be easy targets for attackers, but they are sometimes damaged accidentally. In , people in the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia were plagued by major internet outages on three separate occasions when submarine cables were cut or interfered with.

Egypt did this during the Arab Spring uprising in to make it more difficult for protesters to coordinate their activity. Turkey and Iran have also shut off internet connectivity during protests.

China is rumoured to have a kill switch of its own. And American senators have proposed creating one in the US as a means to defend the country from cyberattack. Building a kill switch is not easy, however. Egypt turned off its internet during the Arab Spring uprising in to make it more difficult for protesters to coordinate their activity Credit: Getty Images. The most devastating strikes could come from space, however. A large solar storm that sent flares in our direction would take out satellites, power grids and computer systems.

But most outages would not last long. It just might not be what you would expect. For a start, the impact to the economy may not be too severe.

Borg and his colleagues analysed the economic effects of computer and internet outages in the US from onwards. Looking at quarterly financial reports from the 20 companies that claimed to be most affected in each case, as well as more general economic statistics, they discovered that the financial impact of an outage was surprisingly insignificant — at least for outages that lasted no more than four days, which is all they studied. It turned out that losing internet access for a few days just made people fall behind on their work.

In some cases, shutting down the internet for a short time might even increase productivity. In another study, Borg and his colleagues analysed what happened when a company suffered an internet outage that lasted four hours or more.

Rather than twiddle their thumbs, employees did things that they would normally put off, such as dealing with paperwork. If key servers attached to services used around the world were switched off, compromised or accidentally reconfigured somehow, then that could be bad news for a whole lot of people. There are instances that can cause a break in the chain to take things down or vulnerabilities in the global internet infrastructure are exposed.

This is why those who play a crucial part in the delivery of the internet around the world and crucial systems are closely monitored to address issues that could take down the internet.

Home Advertisement feature What would happen if the internet went down? In a world without technology, we would not be living, and we would not be human. Answer: The society would lose resources. Explanation: Most people nowadays rely on media for easy information seeking, updates and news thus without media there would be less knowledge about what is happening right now around us.

One says: Technology is a means to an end. Technology itself is a contrivance, or, in Latin, an instrumentum. The current conception of technology, according to which it is a means and a human activity, can therefore be called the instrumental and anthropological definition of technology.

Technology leads to a good life as it is responsible for advancement in all sectors of the economy. It is because it provides us a means to achieve something faster and in an easier manner.

Modern technology has led to the evolution of several devices such as the smartphone, computers, etc. Extended screen time can result in health ramifications like insomnia, eyestrain, and increased anxiety and depression. Yes, Technology is making us feel less human:- Thinking, remembering things and analysing are the essential qualities of humans.

Too much dependence on technology is making us less human. Face to face communications is also affecting. Technology has created amazing tools and resources, putting useful information at our fingertips. Modern technology has paved the way for multi-functional devices like the smartwatch and the smartphone. With all of these revolutions, technology has also made our lives easier, faster, better, and more fun.

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Research Paper. Ben Davis June 1, What would happen if the Internet shut down forever?