A Total Eclipse of the Net: The Dynamics of Network Shutdowns and Collective Action Responses Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Rydzak, Jan Andrzej Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 08/10/2021 11:12:28 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/630182 A TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE NET: THE DYNAMICS OF NETWORK SHUTDOWNS AND COLLECTIVE ACTION RESPONSES by Jan Andrzej Rydzak _______________________________ Copyright © Jan Andrzej Rydzak 2018 A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC POLICY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2018 1 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: Jan Andrzej Rydzak 3 Acknowledgments Just before finishing this dissertation, I read a book by an elderly Polish man who, at 67, became the first person to kayak across the Atlantic – at its widest point, no less. The vast, borderless ocean was liberating, he said, but the journey was agonizing at times, with colossal waves, scorching sunlight, and an equipment failure that left him incommunicado for months. The journey was slow: with no sail and no oars, he relied exclusively on his forearms to paddle through the squalls and the currents and the sharks. While the quest for the PhD is free from those threats to bodily integrity, it resembles paddling through the ocean in more ways than one. Friendly winds are always helpful, as they certainly were for me. But they can only push a hapless researcher so far in his or her resolve to push on; the rest is the thought of those who were there at the start of the journey, those at the end of it, and those encountered along the way. How to condense six years of elation and dejection, community and isolation, confidence and self-doubt, into a few pages celebrating those who helped you survive such an expedition? In 2014, when I stumbled upon the seed that grew into this dissertation, my professors and colleagues had reason for skepticism. Technology was not our institutional focus, and there had only been a handful of high-impact network shutdowns in the world. I am grateful to all of the faculty members who believed in me and in this research agenda enough to help me contribute to our collective knowledge about it. The members of my dissertation committee – Paulette Kurzer, Alex Braithwaite, Jess Maves Braithwaite, and Jen Cyr – displayed extraordinary patience with me as I navigated the waters of an emerging phenomenon, and helped steer me to the right anchor points in the social sciences. Paulette and Alex graciously offered joint advisorship at a critical moment, helping to balance the various currents running through the dissertation and returning to me with feedback at superhuman speed despite having plenty on their plates. I am also grateful to Pat Willerton for the friendship and energy with which he has imbued me and many others. The mental image of his open door symbolizes what he stands for to me – openness, curiosity, and eagerness to listen to one’s stories. Nancy Sharkey graciously welcomed me to the Journalism minor, where all my professors infused me with imagination. David Cuillier, besides representing the J-School on my comps committee, gave me one of the most heartwarming moments in grad school after my lecture in his course. I am also eternally grateful to the SGPP staff and everyone at International Student Services for doing what they do exceptionally well – something which, especially when dealing with me, was sometimes an utterly thankless job. Pat Rhyner in particular has been my dear friend from the beginning, and has been a pillar of support in countless ways, countless times. Much of this dissertation materialized thanks to the direct or indirect engagement of other colleagues, and the inspiration I drew from them. Jackie Kerr and Patricia Vargas-León have been stalwarts of support for several years now. The organizers and participants of the conferences I’ve frequented provided vital insight throughout the writing process. Among the explorers of similar 4 topics, I am intellectually indebted to many whose imprint is present in this manuscript, including (but certainly not limited to) Jason Abbott, Derrick Cogburn, Lisa Garbe, Rongbin Han, Navid Hassanpour, Adam Hoffman, Maryam Humayun, Amy Johnson, Philipp Lutscher, Maria Repnikova, Kris Ruijgrok, Zeynep Tufekci, Ari Waldman, and Joss Wright. Several colleagues offered to help with the chapter on India, including Ashutosh Kumar, Anne Leiser, and Sanjog Sahu. The organizers and participants of the 2016 Oxford Internet Institute Summer Doctoral Programme were enormously inspiring, and I could not list one without listing them all; however, Vicki Nash went beyond the call of duty both on a personal and organizational level, and I will never forget that. With his 2011 study, Phil Howard laid the groundwork for my first piece – and, by extension, the other two. Larry Diamond and Eileen Donahoe gave me the final, most important kick I needed to finish the dissertation, and I am excitedly looking forward to working with them at the Global Digital Policy Incubator. Barbara Hlibowicka-Węglarz, my intellectual and personal role model, was ever-present in my mind throughout these years. Several of those listed above form a small circle of researchers tackling shutdowns; I hope this dissertation convinces them that it’s worth it. The team representing the Global Network Initiative – Judith Lichtenberg, Rocío Campos, Kath Cummins, Jason Pielemeier, Chris Sheehy, and David Sullivan – enabled one of the most fascinating and gratifying experiences of my professional life through the Google Policy Fellowship. This experience not only launched me into the heart of the digital rights community, but also allowed me to bring my research to the public through a report on human rights and shutdowns. Most importantly, the GNI team showed me how hard work can mix seamlessly with the spirit of collaboration and friendship. Among human rights defenders, powerful voices have risen to call attention to shutdowns, many of which occur in their own countries. While they are too many to enumerate, all of them conduct impressive work that provided me with the fuel to persist. Natalia Szczucka at the European Commission gave me one of the best examples of leadership I have seen so far. A highly effective boss, colleague, and affectionate friend rolled into one, she is living proof that hierarchies need not be rigid and that the best work flows from engaging everyone in the team with the same level of respect. My colleagues at the EC – Malwina Gałęzowska-Raźny, Dagna Lewandowska, Kasia Sumisławska, Rafał Szyndlauer, and Magda Żelazny-Stokłosa – were a wonderfully inspiring team; I was lucky to work with them all. Two associations have been my lifelines in Tucson. In September 2012, I joined the International Student Association, and that decision unlocked some of the closest and most rewarding friendships I have made to date. ISA quickly turned into a labor of love whose goal was to expand students’ cultural horizons, expose them to Arizona’s unique environment, and build bridges between American and foreign students on campus. Our outings didn’t just save us all from the ironic fate of suffering Vitamin D deficiency in Arizona; they were a chance to meet the world. The energy radiating through each gathering continues to circulate in me and motivate my work. The members of ISA who most defined my path know who they are – it’s something I’ve expressed (and, in one case, sang) to them many a time. The other group is the Lajkonik Polish Dance Ensemble. A 5 collective of wool-clad devotees of Slavic mountain dances is probably not the first thing you’d expect to see (let alone join) in the Sonoran Desert. Yet through years of antics onstage and off, Lajkonik has become a home and source of support like no other, and it was poignant that my very last Tucson experience was away from the Old Pueblo, but with them. Although I’m grateful to every one of them, I must single out Joanna Schmit, Matthew Schmit, and Amy Robertson for forging order out of chaos and pulling everyone together. They have the unique ability to be present whenever a member of the group needs support or reaches a milestone, despite having active and highly engaged lives of their own. Thanks to their efforts, Lajkonik is not just a group of Pole dancers; it is a family. One of the most gratifying experiences in such a long road is seeing one’s students turn into friends and co-conspirators, and watch as they scale the mountains of adulthood to achieve their goals in life.