Jun 19, 2023 06:00:00

Experts warn of the danger of ``Splinternet'' that divides the Internet

A system devised to function as a computer network that connects the world to a single unit regardless of national borders or ethnicities is the '

Internet ', but in modern times, countries and regions where the Internet is divided in the world for some reason or factor there is. This movement is called 'Splinter' or ' Splinternet ', which combines the words 'Split' and 'Internet'.

What is the 'splinternet'? Here's why the internet is less whole than you might think
https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-splinternet-heres-why-the-internet-is-less-whole-than-you-might-think-207033

Most of about 70% of the Internet is a part that can not be accessed from search engines called '

deep web '. The deep web includes sites and services that require password entry to access, such as personal emails, cloud servers, and personal SNS accounts, regardless of the strength of the password.

Because the Internet is dominated by such pages, sites, and services that are not widely disclosed, it is difficult to get a complete picture of the Internet.

At first glance, the Internet seems to be open to the whole world, but each country or region may have its own policies and regulations. For example, Russia has maintained a system of Internet surveillance dating back to the Soviet Union, and China has built a large-scale information censorship system called the ' Great Firewall ' that greatly restricts information and services from other countries on the Internet. I am restricting.

Obstacles to the use of the Internet are not only state surveillance and censorship, but also harassment among users, and cases where proprietary technology that is not general purpose is used to refuse information exchange with the general Internet. , The division between substantial users due to commercial enclosure by the platform (PDF file) is

regarded as a problem . Some of these regulations and restrictions can be circumvented by using a virtual private network (VPN), but the barriers to entry for the general public are high, making it a special solution that only some users use. That is the current situation.

Robbie Fordyce, a lecturer in communication and media studies at Monash University in Australia, said, ``It's not a bad thing to be able to monitor and limit the content you can see.By restricting content, you can display harmful sites. It can be concealed before it is revealed, but content restrictions lead to fragmented internet experiences across nations and regions.'

While state censorship and regulation of the Internet are often criticized, information restrictions can also come from companies. In 2021, Australia will enact the 'News Media Negotiations Act' that obligates major IT companies to pay news usage fees, and Facebook, in response to this, will allow Australian users and publishers to share and view domestic and international news content. announced that it would impose restrictions.

Facebook changed specifications in Australia to ``cannot post & link to any news article'' - GIGAZINE

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In addition, Facebook has released a program that allows developing countries to use the Internet for free called ' Free Basics '. However, Free Basics used a service called 'Zero-rating' to allow access only to sites and content prepared by Facebook. These restrictions led to massive protests against Facebook in 2015-2016.

It is feared that a further decline in network neutrality in such countries and regions will lead to restrictions on Internet service providers and price competition.

``The fragmentation of the Internet will continue as the Internet experience diversifies and more and more companies use the Internet to track and advertise,'' Fordyce said.