Chokepoint
During the recent uprising in Egypt, in January 2011, the order was given to “turn off” the Internet, sending shock waves around the world. Murmurs were heard of US security agencies and American politicians asking for access to a similar kill switch. These actions force us to look at who owns the Internet.
This is where the Choke Point Project comes in, mapping the nodes of control in service of the multitude of global citizens whom authoritarian regimes can act upon without their consent. The workshop related to the project teaches people how the Internet works, including its underlying structures. It also leads into what are its inherent weaknesses, exploring themes such as net neutrality, autonomous distributed systems, mobile phones and the Internet, security, and covers the different ways Internet connectivity can be distributed.