The internet isn’t just software. It’s a physical thing with its own geography: massive data centers; 1.3 million kilometers of fiber-optic undersea cables; cell towers and copper wiring. It’s often in these IRL manifestations that the internet is most vulnerable to accident or, increasingly, concerted attack. ⁠ ⁠ Internet blackouts — whether on purpose or accidental — are more common than you may realize. There have 935 internet shutdowns in more than 60 countries in the past decade.⁠ ⁠ The reason that internet blackouts are becoming more common is simple: they work. There are few more effective tactics for obliterating an opponent’s ability to communicate during moments of political tension.⁠ ⁠ Click the link in our bio to read the full story. Photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images.⁠ ⁠ #internet #internetshutdown #internetblackout #egypt