How To Communicate if Your Government Shuts Off Your Internet

[Ian David]

Scenario: Your government is displeased with the communication going on in your location and pulls the plug on your internet access, most likely by telling the major ISPs to turn off service.

This is what happened in Egypt January 25 prompted by citizen protests, with sources estimating that the Egyptian government has cut off approximately 88 percent of the country's internet access. What do you do without Internet? Step 1: Stop crying in the corner. Then start taking steps to reconnect with your network. Here’s a list of things you can do to keep the communication flowing.

This article is part of a wiki anyone can edit. If you have advice to add, please log in and contribute.

More:
http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Communicate_if_Your_Government_Shuts_Off_Your_Internet

[gateley]

1. K&R - I was thinking, as I'm sure many of us were, what we would do if all of a sudden

we had the plugged pulled from any communication, information, news. I can't even imagine -- we've become so dependent on just pulling up what we need to know on the Internet.

Off to read it now! Recommend - and thanks!

[SaveAmerica]

20. I've always felt all dem groups should have some contact lists maintained

No matter the size of the group. For example, DU could have representatives from each state and their phone numbers would be kept current. Then dem groups within the states should have their phone lists updated so if anything were to happen we'd still be able to get info to each other.

[gateley]

29. Good idea. nt

[bobburgster]

40. I don't think it is hard to imagine it happening in our country.......

and that is real scary!

[Capitalocracy]

2. I love this idea. K&R

I'm not smart enough to contribute to this, but I'm glad to see it's there.

[Cleita]

3. Short wave radio?

Isn't this the way the underground in France and other European nations invaded by the German Nazis during WWII communicated with one another?

[DJ13]

4. An old standby?

[jannyk]

5. Bookmarking. Thanks!

[Ian David]

6. Well, THAT's useless. You have to PRINT it. Duh! n/t

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. My laff of the day.

[jannyk]

12. That's why I'm bookmarking it until I get home to a printer! nt

[CrispyQ]

37. Don't print, SnagIt!

Love that software!! Captures any part of the screen you want, including scrolling screens. Once you have it captured, no need to print. You will still have access to your hard drive. I have dozens of technical screen shots filed away in my tech folders. It has great print features, too, & an ok image editing module. This was one of the best $60 programs I've ever bought!

http://www.techsmith.com/snagit/default.asp?gclid=COHmuvCQ4KYCFYa7Kgodq2O40w

I am not affilated with them in any way.

[hlthe2b]

7. Seens like the "underground" progressives in the Americas & Europe

ought to work out some system like Michael Moore was suggesting yesterday to be able to bypass an intentional shutdown through a network of people "sharing bandwitdth"...

I don't really understand this but here's the link:
https://www.accessnow.org/proxy-cloud/page/join-the-cloud

[Peace Patriot]

8. Thanks for that info! nt

[Hannah Bell]

19. what underground progressives?

[hlthe2b]

31. what do you consider yourself?

[Dover]

34. Homing Pigeons

No, REALLY! They're not just for racing anymore...

It's good enough for the navy.
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/special/homing_pigeons.htm

And in the meantime, it's a rewarding hobby and they make great pets:
http://www.thefreeresource.com/homing-pigeons-facts-and-resources-about-how-homing-pigeons-find-their-way-home
http://www.speedpigeon.com/training_racing_pigeons.htm

[bobbolink]

9. Crank radios?

Think Code Talkers.

[LiberalArkie]

10. Amateur Radio for long range and CB radios for local

[Poll_Blind]

13. I don't think I see it mentioned but local wireless base stations are pretty popular in some big...

...cities. I think there's one in Washington that's pretty extensive. Basically they're like HAM radio repeater stations I believe. Cost about 500-1000 dollars to set one up but you can use directional antennas MUCH more cheaply ($50 all the way down to home-made for a few bucks) and communicate over much, much larger distances if you have line of sight. Possibly over a mile or possibly more, but the two parties have to be pointing at each other and then each of them can open open-air networks for the neighborhoods which can communicate with each of those two main points. And you can do that with a number of those "base stations" and cover a pretty damn nice chuck of a town or even larger if you have enough people cooperating.

Oh, and it's all purely off the grid. It's not like the government is going to be snooping on this because in this scenario they have no way in unless they're in your neighborhood/the area.

This really hasn't been done much because the internet flows so freely to most people in the U.S. But in a situation where it were limited something like this would be VERY useful for quicly transmitting information and would be a lot less obvious than, say, a CB or HAM radio.

Hope someone understood that, BTW. LOL.

PB

[Peace Patriot]

14. A lot of good, practical suggestions...

Such as (from the OP)...

Make your network tangible

Print out you contact list so your phone numbers aren’t stuck in the cloud. Some mail services like Gmail allow you to export your online contact list in formats that are more conducive to paper, such as CSV or Vcard, and offer step-by-step guides on how to do this.
Broadcast on the radio

Phone

Set up a phone tree: According to the American Association of University Women, a phone tree is "a prearranged, pyramid-shaped system for activating a group of people by telephone" that can "spread a brief message quickly and efficiently to a large number of people." Dig out that contact list you printed out and follow the steps on the AAUW website to spread the message down your pyramid of contacts.

---

That's how things USED TO BE organized. The "phone tree" was a big one. (And anybody still have an old mimeo machine? Hang onto to it!)

---

And this one sounds fun...

---

Broadcast on the Radio

CB Radio: Short for "Citizens Band" radio, these two-way radios allow communication over short distances on 40 channels. You can pick one up for about $20-50 at Radio Shack and no license is required to operate it.

Ham radio: To converse over these radios, also known as "Amateur radios," you have to obtain an operator's license from the FCC. Luckily, other Wired How-To contributors have already explained exactly what you need to do to get one and use it like a pro.

---

The tech suggestions are beyond my ken, but will be useful to some, such as :

---

Enable Twitter via SMS: Though the thought of unleashing the twitter fire hose in your text message inbox may seem horrifying, it would be better than not being able to connect to the outside world at all. The twitter website has full instructions on how to redirect tweets to your phone.

Or: Find the privately-run ISPs (and if you have one, offer it to others).

---

I would add: TALKING. Face to face. Or talking to groups. Old labor organizing trick.

[Ian David]

16. There are also modems that work over HAM radio.

Packet radio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_radio

RADIO MODEMS AND SOFTWARE
http://www.atarimagazines.com/v4n7/radiomodemsoftware.html

[Peace Patriot]

27. Thanks for that info, Ian David! Good to know! nt

[Dappleganger]

21. Our old church we used to go to also set up a phone tree for hurricane seasons...

it really works pretty well. They assigned certain team leaders as well as backups to certain sections of our area, based on ability (and availability) and location. It made it easy to communicate and move equipment around such as generators around, as well as tree-removal teams w/chainsaws and gas, then to food squads. We included any neighbor who needed help or wanted to help, which is what happens in time of a disaster--people tend to gravitate towards any kind of semi-organisation and just pitch in no matter who you are. We used long-range 2-way radios when the cell towers were out for a time.

[socialist_n_TN]

15. No new ideas, but a definite kick.........

I was actually thinking about the phone tree idea today. You could actually do it to bring new people into it too. Have each of your contacts call AT LEAST one other person and then have THEM call one (or more) person, etc. It would be an exponential (sp?) type thing.

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. Twitter was reporting people were faxing out information to the world

and using phone apps,which apparently were not affected by the shut down.

[AlabamaLibrul]

26. Fax is a big one.

People probably laugh at the idea of faxing things today, but corporations still like to use them because you can receive info quickly anywhere there is a phone line, and you can get a used fax machine for next to nothing.

Fax machines are your inbox on paper.

[MedicalAdmin]

32. Medical clinics still use fax every day

Its mostly secure. In order to intercept a fax the switch has to be physically tapped unlike Internet where everyone and their goats ISP has a copy. Every medical clinic in the USA still has a fax hooked up to a land line because of hippa laws. So come the revolution look to clinics to help with communications. Small clinic = small local business = help.

Edited to correct typos

[Dappleganger]

18. Ham radio.

I have stuff in my closet inherited from my grandfather. One day I'll pull it out and go through the process of learning/certification but basically my dad and his entire family are into it and that was the poor man's long-distance carrier for years.

[LawnKorn]

22. Poor man's long-distance???

Guess you don't hangout with any hams. One I know has more money tied up in his ham shack than he does in his car and his wife's car combined.

[Dappleganger]

23. My dad got all his stuff at pawn shops...

so what do I know? I'd imagine it's possible to spend a lot of money if you buy everything brand new, but a long time ago folks didn't do that and they bought used and traded with each other.

[Ian David]

28. My dad once talked to the King of Jordan on his HAM radio.

He also used the feedback between the speaker and microphone to scare all his neighbors in Brooklyn into thinking they were being invaded from space.

"ATTENTION PEOPLE OF THE THIRD PLANET..."

[Dappleganger]

30. War of the Worlds!

Priceless. :D

[Jamastiene]

24. That first step sounds like it would be the hardest step to me.

K&R

[Lucian]

25. Ooooh, I'm bookmarking this.

Thank you.

[Dover]

35. Better make a hard copy ...

hehehe :rofl:

[Shanti Mama]

33. I've been through this

I live in Nepal and we had our internet AND mobile telephone AND international calling cut off years ago when the King staged a peaceful coup. It really threw all of us expats. We were relying on friends who had VSAT at the US Embassy and UN to get messages to family.

We must never take government sanctioned communications for granted. I hope to buy a sat phone soon, but I'll still be reliant on a local service provider. Bottom line -- if they want us cut off, they can cut us off.

[lonestarnot]

36. Teams of national fwbers.

[hobbit709]

38. I have a list of Samizdat contacts in my head.

[loudsue]

39. I'm trying to wrap my mind around the idea that we're really having this discussion at all

So much of this incoming grief could have been avoided if people had chosen to be decent human beings, willing to be fair, and having compassion. Greed is likely the most insidious evil of all.

[backwoodsbob]

41. have a ham and a scanner

beyond that?lock and load