Internet Kill Switch’
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Syracuse University SURFACE Dissertations - ALL SURFACE May 2019 ADDRESSING THE ULTIMATE FORM OF CYBERSECURITY CONTROL, A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY FOR THE ‘INTERNET KILL SWITCH’ Patricia Adriana Vargas Leon Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/etd Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Vargas Leon, Patricia Adriana, "ADDRESSING THE ULTIMATE FORM OF CYBERSECURITY CONTROL, A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY FOR THE ‘INTERNET KILL SWITCH’" (2019). Dissertations - ALL. 1014. https://surface.syr.edu/etd/1014 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the SURFACE at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations - ALL by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i Abstract The Internet has proved its capacity to defy the nation-states’ traditional borders. Facing this circumstance, governments became eager to control its infrastructure, as they did in the past with other forms of communication and they have attempted to shut down the Internet in several occasions. Academics and non-governmental organizations have focused their attention on authoritarian regimes because of the impact of Internet shutdowns on human rights. However, this extreme action of government control has also been part of the debate in non-authoritarian regimes. Thus, this dissertation contributes to the academic debate by analyzing democratic and hybrid regimes, their political discourse and concrete actions to shut down the Internet or to consider doing it. This process starts by questioning the traditional belief that democratic governments, self- defenders of the freedom as a human right, would not consider shutting down the Internet. This dissertation is an exploratory study of the rhetoric and actual factors that enable democratic and hybrid regimes to shut down the Internet or consider doing it as part of their national security strategy. This project started by adopting a definition of what an Internet shutdown is, the government attempt to stop all Internet activity within the borders of its nation- state, also known as "Internet Kill Switch". The research design for this project carries an online data collection and a comparative case study to answer the research questions that drive this dissertation. Data collection included reputable sources and a triangulation process for validity purposes. The process of online data collection started by developing an inclusion and exclusion criteria to select the case studies. Using the theoretical framework of the Securitization theory of the Copenhagen School, this study identified the arguments democratic, and hybrid regimes use to justify shutting down the Internet. At the same time, this project determined the audiences they try to address and what they understand as a national security situation. Case studies include three well-consolidated democracies, U.S., U.K. and Australia, and two hybrid regimes, Russia and Venezuela. These nation-states were involved in an Internet shutdown, or their governments considered doing it under different circumstances. To identify the political, legal and technical factors that enable a democratic and hybrid regime to shut down the Internet, this project determined specific variables to analyze. For comparative purposes, this project also incorporated two-young-democracies, Brazil and Mexico, and one hybrid regime, Turkey. These last three governments never shut down the Internet and did not consider doing it. From the comparison between regimes politically similar, this research identified similarities and differences in the factors that enable a government to shut down the Internet. The second contribution comes from a conceptual point of view, by clarifying the differences between terms. In this regard, this study challenges the assimilation of shutting down the entire Internet with censorship episodes as if they were equal practices. Finally, from an academic point of view, this dissertation determined that there are no substantial differences between the rhetoric and political, legal and technical factors that enable democratic and hybrid regimes to shut down the Internet. ii ADDRESSING THE ULTIMATE FORM OF CYBERSECURITY CONTROL, A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY FOR THE ‘INTERNET KILL SWITCH’ by Patricia A. Vargas León Law Degree, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, 2002 M.S., Syracuse University, 2009 Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Science and Technology Syracuse University May 2019 iii Copyright 2019 Patricia A. Vargas León All rights Reserved iv Acknowledgments This dissertation is the completion of a great enterprise, the Ph.D. program. In that regard, and like most adventures in life, it was possible with the help of many people who supported me in different capacities and by the and by the grace of God. This is the time to say thank you to all of them. Although the phrase "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants," attributed to Isaac Newton, is often used, I think it is a good time to recall it. First, I would like to thank my advisor Professor Jennifer Stromer-Galley, for believing in my project at a critical time. She provided me with direction, support, and timely feedback on all my drafts. Moreover, I am grateful for her extraordinary patience and for her way to challenge me when it was necessary. I also profoundly thank my committee members Professors John Mathiason and Milton Mueller, who encouraged me to do this project from the very beginning. Their critique, feedback and in- depth knowledge on the subject helped me to improve my research constantly. It was an honor to work and learn from Professor Jeffrey Vagle, to whom I also thank for serving as my external reader. I also would like to thank Professors Carlos Caicedo and Joon Park for being available and providing me with their knowledge when I needed it. Additionally, I thank Professor Park for serving as my internal reader. Though not a part of my final committee, I would like to thank Professor Martha-Garcia Murillo, for mentoring me during the early years in the program. I also want to thank Professors Murali Venkatesh and Michelle Kaarst-Brown for their support and encouragement. These acknowledgments will not be complete if I don't mention my colleagues and friends from the Ph.D. program and some ladies from the administrative staff. Special thanks to my friends and colleagues of the iSchool Fatima Espinoza-Vasquez, Andreas Kuehn, Renata Curty, Claudia v Louis and Norma Palomino, for their support through this journey and for reminding me that so much sacrifice will be worthy. From the staff members, I would like to thank Ellen Hobbs, Sue Nemier, Alecia Zema and Bridget Crary, for their help and support solving multiple administrative issues and their kindness in saying a prayer when my family needed it. Outside of the iSchool, I thank the support of my friends and doctoral students Mariana Nava-Lopez, Kaira Fuentes-Viera, Sarita Bassil and Silvia Figari for their kindness making their house a home to me every time I came to Syracuse. To my friend Farzaneh Badieii, I thank for her support reminding me that, good things do and will happen. Finally, I would like to thank my family members and friends, back in my country Perú, here in the U.S. and the rest of the world, who supported me throughout my Ph.D. studies. Thanks for their patience and kindness in the good and bad days. My brothers, Hernan and Marcos, have always been my greatest supporters in the whole adventure since I arrived in the U.S.; I will thank their support forever. My father who always encourages me to move forward despite the endless problems that lay ahead. Finally, I would like to thank my mom, the best gift the Lord could give to me. I want to thank her for everything, her love, her support, and her kindness. I am sure she will be there when I walk during the graduation ceremony. vi Table of Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Problem Statement ................................................................................................................. 2 1.2. Research Questions ................................................................................................................ 3 1.3. Definition of Terms ................................................................................................................ 5 1.3.1. The Internet: A Network of Networks ................................................................................. 5 1.3.2. Internet Shutdown, a.k.a. ‘Internet Kill Switch’ ................................................................ 9 1.3.3. Technical Components: Process to Shut Down the Internet .......................................... 11 1.3.3.1. Elements of the TCP/IP Model to be Controlled to Achieve an Internet Kill Switch 13 1.3.3.2. Feasibility .............................................................................................................................. 18 1.3.4. Differences Between and ‘Internet Kill Switch’ and Censorship .................................. 19 1.3.5. DNS Poisoning ..................................................................................................................... 22 1.3.6. The Internet: Decentralized System and Diversity in the ISPs .....................................