context: Russia announced on 23 Dec 2019 it had completed a series of tests checking that its internet services could function if the country were cut off from the worldwide web. The review follows a ‘sovereign internet’ bill introduced in November, which gives the Kremlin the possibility to switch off connections within Russia or completely to the worldwide web ‘in an emergency’.
Russia’s internet unplugging test will boost the connectivity and security of global cyberspace and should be studied and emulated by China, argues Fang Xingdong 方兴东 Communication University of Zhejiang Centre for Internet and Society director.
The test is one of the most consequential incidents in terms of global cyber security over the past few years, of no less importance than the 2013 Snowden incident. The test has
- shaken US’ absolute hegemony in cyberspace
- deprived the US of the ability to paralyse a country's infrastructure by disconnecting it from the internet
- removed from the US its ‘nuclear button’ in cyberspace
- made it much less likely for the US to disconnect other countries.
There are several key points worth noting in order to properly understand the Russian test:
- Russia is not building a new network that is incompatible with the rest of the world
- it is only for emergency situations, and does not affect daily use
- it is not an act of self-isolation: Russia is not building a domestic intranet
In contrast, some people in China have been saying that Chinese internet must start anew and develop a closed and incompatible system. But a closed network has little value. Therefore, we must oppose
- ultra-left thinking that calls for self-isolation and passive defence
- ultra-right thinking that advocates openness and dismisses defence
China's cybersecurity strategy needs to find the right balance between the two extremes.