https://freemyinternet.info Free my internet Thu, 11 Mar 2021 11:12:21 +0000 https://freemyinternet.info en https://freemyinternet.info/free_my_internet Thu, 11 Mar 2021 11:06:52 +0000 Free my internet https://freemyinternet.info/free_my_internet <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/47dfd4412e81ec75fa6e08bedacf511f510b7f35199ca462c6f113009fb25fe8/0.0freemyinternetweb150.jpg" data-mid="106681995" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/47dfd4412e81ec75fa6e08bedacf511f510b7f35199ca462c6f113009fb25fe8/0.0freemyinternetweb150.jpg" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8443fa89584c5ff8d31d71218b96a6f2e81a745c176c587aa50c1fcca56d04f4/0.1.web150.gif" data-mid="106820806" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8443fa89584c5ff8d31d71218b96a6f2e81a745c176c587aa50c1fcca56d04f4/0.1.web150.gif" /> <img width="1169" height="827" width_o="1169" height_o="827" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f9122177fbcb368f6253a7714b60b3b8a866d5481d90faed46c07eead31e395e/0.2.web100.gif" data-mid="106681996" border="0" data-scale="91" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f9122177fbcb368f6253a7714b60b3b8a866d5481d90faed46c07eead31e395e/0.2.web100.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/35f72304b2593fdd4c389eb647d60a566b87077263f72db8732304f92f7c671e/0.3.web.jpg" data-mid="106681997" border="0" data-scale="91" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/35f72304b2593fdd4c389eb647d60a566b87077263f72db8732304f92f7c671e/0.3.web.jpg" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a4b4ee7a7a9ac0b8e2f814898b16ce281af654d05e2216077da6e5d1be71abb9/0.4_get_started.jpg" data-mid="106821204" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a4b4ee7a7a9ac0b8e2f814898b16ce281af654d05e2216077da6e5d1be71abb9/0.4_get_started.jpg" /> https://freemyinternet.info/1_about_the_internet Thu, 11 Mar 2021 09:51:24 +0000 Free my internet https://freemyinternet.info/1_about_the_internet <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/51bfdc201fdf0ca78072d3fd463e5934b78add0f4d6ae846ebaa36f6b7a3771d/1_about_the_-internet150.jpg" data-mid="106812374" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/51bfdc201fdf0ca78072d3fd463e5934b78add0f4d6ae846ebaa36f6b7a3771d/1_about_the_-internet150.jpg" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0b23790b74a28f85592b80702e93ad5b4bf20448f2a38967b2b0bbddd4e9d8b7/1.1.web150.gif" data-mid="106683132" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0b23790b74a28f85592b80702e93ad5b4bf20448f2a38967b2b0bbddd4e9d8b7/1.1.web150.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/edbcafe0a2cf4e03848676d7d0f782897b525d27b7bc513966e88dc203872183/1.2.web150.gif" data-mid="106683133" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/edbcafe0a2cf4e03848676d7d0f782897b525d27b7bc513966e88dc203872183/1.2.web150.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2a8ffb96fabe82f520552585bf3477ca87cdab562ae5cdb5fc10cb59d1502bf9/1.3.web150.1.gif" data-mid="106685531" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2a8ffb96fabe82f520552585bf3477ca87cdab562ae5cdb5fc10cb59d1502bf9/1.3.web150.1.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/03c310c47c0929c898263de05b2c0241bffb714ac351aca666d11469dbce9b10/1-LAST150.jpg" data-mid="106821320" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/03c310c47c0929c898263de05b2c0241bffb714ac351aca666d11469dbce9b10/1-LAST150.jpg" /> GUIDING QUESTIONS What is the internet? How can we connect to the internet? What is the role of internet service providers? LEARNING OBJECTIVES This story demonstrates that those parts of internet infrastructure run by internet service providers (ISPs) are crucial to providing internet connectivity to the larger population. The internet is made of multiple layers, each of which serves specific functions. The content layer depicts what users share online, that is videos, blogposts, pictures, etc.&nbsp; The application layer helps users send and receive information via readable interfaces, including web-based platforms, email, and instant messaging. Internet service applications, like Google or Facebook, help you use and navigate the internet; otherwise, everything would be in coding language!&nbsp; The logical layer includes all standard protocols supporting the connections between devices and the applications running on them. Most institutions that host the technical and logical standards by which the internet works are based in the USA.&nbsp; Most importantly, the infrastructural layer is about the physical infrastructure—that is the cables, wires, phones, computers, and routers—needed to establish and maintain connection.&nbsp; Interconnected across the globe via copper cables, fiber optic cables, or radio waves, the small local networks of computers on which the internet relies belong to various ISPs that enable ‘last-mile’-connections to end-users. With ISPs there exists an industry-wide capacity to grant and restrict access to manifold internet-based services on which an increasingly digitalized economy and society relies. REFERENCES ARTICLE 19 &amp; Catnip. 2021. How the Internet Really Works: An Illustrated Guide to Protocols, Privacy, Censorship, and Governance. No Starch Press. A playful introduction to the internet’s physical infrastructure. Using humorous illustrations, it explains how the internet is networked and what the internet’s infrastructure looks lik. DENARDIS, L. 2014. The Global War for Internet Governance. Yale University Press. An introduction to the power structures inherent in the architecture of internet governance. It reveals how the control over local internet infrastructure puts ISPs in a powerful decision to provide, manipulate, or cut internet access. FLYVERBOM, M., DEIBERT, R. &amp; MATTEN, D. 2019. The Governance of Digital Technology, Big Data, and the Internet: New Roles and Responsibilities for Business. Business &amp; Society 58(1): 3-19. This special issue explores the so-called “Internet-industrial complex”—the intersections between business, states, and other actors in the shaping, development, and governance of the internet.&nbsp; &nbsp; FREYBURG, T., GARBE, L. &amp; WAVRE, V. 2021. The Political Power of Internet Business: A Comprehensive Dataset of Telecommunications Ownership and Control (TOSCO). Manuscript. University of St.Gallen. An original discussion of the role of ISP ownership for the political and economic effects of internet penetration. Mapping the dynamic telecommunications landscape in Africa since 2000, it analyses different ownership types, notably the state, private investors, and family/individuals, and their role in corporate decisions on government-requested shutdowns, among others. GOLDSMITH, J. &amp; WU, T. 2006. Who Controls the Internet? Illusions of a Borderless World. Oxford University Press. A provocative discussion of the challenges to the internet as a liberation technology. Building on a series of practical examples, it shows how governments seek to assert their power to direct and control the use and expansion of the internet. <img width="1754" height="1240" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ec62bd497b4f1121a1195a92701a3ab4b006f6abf45afb2d015c2e8e5c6e08ed/1-LAST150.jpg" style="width: 957.797px; height: 677.12px;"> https://freemyinternet.info/2_about_internet_service_providers Thu, 11 Mar 2021 09:51:25 +0000 Free my internet https://freemyinternet.info/2_about_internet_service_providers <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/859fc63407e17867576daac6377c7f5a2354ff292ba795609fcebe4f1a29630f/2_about_internet_service_providers150.jpg" data-mid="106812697" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/859fc63407e17867576daac6377c7f5a2354ff292ba795609fcebe4f1a29630f/2_about_internet_service_providers150.jpg" /> <img width="1753" height="1241" width_o="1753" height_o="1241" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/49a0ac1be4ae17111187cb0ecc99620fe4b6877b8ac7ade8d4e570666eb3ac21/2.1.1.web150.jpg" data-mid="106812689" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/49a0ac1be4ae17111187cb0ecc99620fe4b6877b8ac7ade8d4e570666eb3ac21/2.1.1.web150.jpg" /> <img width="1753" height="1241" width_o="1753" height_o="1241" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9b3e73abd0eda45316278c765da04fb1687166ff195996c2cf20986c5894c065/2.1.2.web150.gif" data-mid="106812690" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9b3e73abd0eda45316278c765da04fb1687166ff195996c2cf20986c5894c065/2.1.2.web150.gif" /> <img width="1753" height="1241" width_o="1753" height_o="1241" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/abec53b9d6e5e60c30e867a46f073588b093ef9612e3e51010af6b22621477b9/2.1.3.web150.gif" data-mid="106812691" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/abec53b9d6e5e60c30e867a46f073588b093ef9612e3e51010af6b22621477b9/2.1.3.web150.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/faec5d5f94b54a1a12175a511d7e4d2fd073fa4d9f27d4a965f094a3f344e31c/2.2.web150.jpg" data-mid="106812693" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/faec5d5f94b54a1a12175a511d7e4d2fd073fa4d9f27d4a965f094a3f344e31c/2.2.web150.jpg" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5984d283d04d8df14c5f47c7e68ee11c90962670eb02ac41fe9a155eebb0f40e/2.3.web150.jpg" data-mid="106812694" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5984d283d04d8df14c5f47c7e68ee11c90962670eb02ac41fe9a155eebb0f40e/2.3.web150.jpg" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/62198733b748782065acaa12c1dd97a7e72d2c038b849777cb7c2a329ac4dc7b/2.4.web150.gif" data-mid="106812696" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/62198733b748782065acaa12c1dd97a7e72d2c038b849777cb7c2a329ac4dc7b/2.4.web150.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5ae8fce2559f393c530c0c604dde7247ef875fd9d5664dbfdecd3532ce859ca2/2-LAST150.jpg" data-mid="106812688" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5ae8fce2559f393c530c0c604dde7247ef875fd9d5664dbfdecd3532ce859ca2/2-LAST150.jpg" /> GUIDING QUESTIONS How to characterize the telecommunications sector in Africa? How did the African telecommunications sector develop over time? Who invests in the African telecommunications sector? LEARNING OBJECTIVES This story describes the African telecommunications sector and reflects on the implications for individual access to internet services. Africa is the least connected region in the world. As of January 2021, Eastern and Middle Africa recorded the lowest rates of internet penetration: 24 percent and 26 percent, respectively. The majority of web traffic originates from mobile devices; only around 15 percent of the households have fixed broadband access at home. Access to the internet tends to be extremely costly, compared to European standards. In Africa, as in most other parts in the world, the telecommunications sector was traditionally regulated by state-controlled monopolies. Today, internet service providers (ISPs) are owned by a variety of different shareholders. In several countries, notably Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia, the government has always been the only shareholder of the only ISP operating in the country. In Senegal,, in turn, the state never owned a majority-share in any ISP. In Uganda, ISPs have largely been owned by foreign-private companies from different continents, including the French Orange, Indian Bharti Airtel, or South-African MTN. In view of the political and economic sensitivities associated with infrastructure ownership, privatized and/or foreign ownership provides a “barometer of states' willingness to share authority with others” (Doh et al. 2004:234). If the state holds itself shares in the company, the corporate management is likely to favor compliance with political requests, such as manipulating access to internet service or sharing consumer data, in contrast to a privately-owned company committed to corporate social responsibility principles. REFERENCES CORRALES, J. &amp; WESTHOFF, F. 2006.&nbsp;Information technology adoption and political regimes.&nbsp;International Studies Quarterly 50(4): 911-933. This study of the determinants of technology adoption across states finds a complex relationship between political liberties and internet adoption. It also addresses the subject of the digital divide. DOH, J., TEEGEN, H. &amp; MUDAMBI, R. 2004.&nbsp;Balancing Private and State Ownership in Emerging Markets' Telecommunications Infrastructure: Country, Industry, and Firm Influences. Journal of International Business Studies 35(3): 233-250. This study looks at determinants of state versus private investment in telecommunications projects in developing countries. Private investment in telecommunications turns out to depend on financial incentives and state policies.&nbsp; FREYBURG, T., GARBE, L. &amp; WAVRE, V. 2021. The Political Power of Internet Business: A Comprehensive Dataset of Telecommunications Ownership and Control (TOSCO). Manuscript. University of St.Gallen. Presentation of the Telecommunications Ownership and Control (TOSCO) dataset that provides detailed information about the shareholders and their exact shares of all ISPs across 49 African mainland countries (plus Madagascar) since 2000s until today.&nbsp; MOYO, D. &amp; MUNORIYARWA, A. 2021. ‘Data must fall’: mobile data pricing, regulatory paralysis and citizen action in South Africa, Information, Communication &amp; Society 24(3): 365-380. Taking the example of South Africa, this study demonstrates how an oligopolistic ISP landscape and regulatory strategies can lead to an overpricing of (mobile) data. High data costs are a problem in many African countries, as exemplified by the #DataMustFall movement.&nbsp; ROBERTS, H., LAROCHELLE, D., FARIS, R., &amp; PALFREY, J. 2011. Mapping Local Internet Control. IEEE Computer Society, Computer Communications Workshop, Hyannis (CA). Mapping of national networks of autonomous systems, for identifying a small set of autonomous systems that act as points of control for each national network, and for measuring the complexity of the networks of autonomous systems within each country. Those autonomous systems are the ISPs and other large organizations that are responsible for routing traffic and as such act as points of technical and political control of the internet. STRANGE, R. 2018. Corporate Ownership and the Theory of the Multinational Enterprise. International Business Review 27(6): 1229-37. This contribution researches why firms undertake foreign direct investment (FDI) rather than alternative strategies. Focusing on the role of shareholdings and their corporate control, it suggests enriching traditional theories of the (multinational) firms with insights about corporate ownership (and other governance dimensions).&nbsp; &nbsp; https://freemyinternet.info/3_about_internet_shutdowns Thu, 11 Mar 2021 11:11:42 +0000 Free my internet https://freemyinternet.info/3_about_internet_shutdowns <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3fba1f2584476def63130b53e5a9f02da840d82abce361f9b819a6f05f5f0bd9/3_about_internet_shutdowns150.jpg" data-mid="106814882" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3fba1f2584476def63130b53e5a9f02da840d82abce361f9b819a6f05f5f0bd9/3_about_internet_shutdowns150.jpg" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ab463455eb9c0b6fff89a75a3e7398c7fe5352795a01c224f7799b07ebbef4de/3.1.web150.jpg" data-mid="106683875" border="0" 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data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0f0e55c1d7a7adaa752949d7ff7351db22df29c8e12f98d9cb04504e5cb75ead/3-LAST150.jpg" data-mid="106814881" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0f0e55c1d7a7adaa752949d7ff7351db22df29c8e12f98d9cb04504e5cb75ead/3-LAST150.jpg" /> &nbsp; GUIDING QUESTIONS What are political, social, and economic consequences of internet shutdowns? How do ISPs typically manipulate access to internet services?&nbsp; In what way can internet shutdowns be seen as illegal or illegitimate? LEARNING OBJECTIVES This story discusses government-requested internet disruptions, their implementation and consequences. Internet disruptions have become a popular tool to control the digital flow of information and communication, especially in autocracies during politically contentious times. The most common technical strategies rely on internet service providers (ISPs) to manipulate their routing (1) or packet forwarding (2) mechanisms. ISPs can vary in their reaction to censorship requests since each ISP runs its own physical network. (1) If an ISP withdraws its Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routes from the internet, the blocks of IP addresses that have been allocated to it by the regional internet registry disappear from the internet. Its customers cannot access websites, send and receive email, use voice services, or anti-censorship tools such as VPNs. (2) Using information about source and destination of a packet, notably the IP address, an ISP can manipulate access control lists so to deny traffic to or from a specific IP address, such as 104.244.42.193 for www.twitter.com. Its customers cannot access this particular service, unless they access the internet with an alternative IP address through a VPN. Internet disruptions have far-reaching economic, social, and political consequences. They limit business-customer communication and prevent citizens from holding institutions accountable, among others. The United Nations considers internet disruptions, regardless of the justification provided, to be disproportionate and a violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. They call upon all states to ensure that internet access is maintained at all times, including during times of political unrest.&nbsp; REFERENCES DE GREGORIO, G., &amp; STREMLAU, N. (2020). Internet Shutdowns and the Limits of Law. International Journal of Communication 14: 4224-4243. Discussion of the limits of law with regard to the imposition and implementation of shutdowns. In exploring the justifications of shutdowns, the authors advocate for more transparency around decision-making processes behind shutdowns. GARBE, L. (2021). Pulling through Elections by Pulling the Plug: Internet Disruptions and Electoral Violence. Manuscript. University of St.Gallen. Study of the role of ICT for opposition actors in authoritarian contexts with a particular focus on elections. By zooming into the case of Uganda’s presidential elections in 2016, which were accompanied by a temporary halt of access to social media, this study sheds light on the ways in which a shutdown can prevent opposition actors from challenging electoral malpractice. GOHDES, A. (2015). Pulling the Plug: Network Disruptions and Violence in Civil Conflict. Journal of Peace Research 52(3): 352-67. Demonstration of an increase in violence immediately before and during the Internet blackouts, Taking the fatal incidents in the Syrian civil war, as reported by human rights organizations. Disrupting access to the internet during government military operations has become a strategy of repression and eliminating the opposition. HASSANPOUR, N. (2014). Media Disruption and Revolutionary Unrest: Evidence from Mubarak's Quasi-experiment. Political Communication 31(1): 1-24. Using the internet blackouts in Egypt and Syria, this study argues that lapses in connectivity created “small world networks” by encouraging face-to-face interaction. The Egyptian blackout during the Tahrir Square protests increased rather than decreased coordination, perhaps because people began seeking information in face-to-face encounters and local, more dense networks.&nbsp; DAINOTTI, A, SQUARCELLA, C, ABEN, E, ET AL. (2014). Analysis of Country-wide Internet Outages Caused by Censorship.IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking 22(4): 1964-1977. Documentation of how internet disruptions can be detected using different types of internet traffic data. Taking the internet disruptions in Egypt and Libya in early 2011, the authors demonstrate how access can be disrupted using packet filtering or BGP route withdrawals.&nbsp; https://freemyinternet.info/4_about_ISP_responsibility Thu, 11 Mar 2021 11:12:21 +0000 Free my internet https://freemyinternet.info/4_about_ISP_responsibility <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c50b5075b36a4e03f9c1d7049585fb50bcff54d233b2fadf6afcf8229a534e53/4_about_ISP_responsibility150.jpg" data-mid="106815129" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c50b5075b36a4e03f9c1d7049585fb50bcff54d233b2fadf6afcf8229a534e53/4_about_ISP_responsibility150.jpg" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/126cb07d0bfe2a371060dc2379c8723deea8d21040c84bd670cec902f75b1bcf/4.0.web150.jpg" data-mid="106735082" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/126cb07d0bfe2a371060dc2379c8723deea8d21040c84bd670cec902f75b1bcf/4.0.web150.jpg" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a8a9c1cd6cee32b81f50eeceba12b4167b780b3b64be02c7bbca496f88108ad8/4.1.web150.gif" data-mid="106735083" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a8a9c1cd6cee32b81f50eeceba12b4167b780b3b64be02c7bbca496f88108ad8/4.1.web150.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c945c90596ebab3824e0ba33efa491122c53c8e0a66070e9bb857c24d89b8e6d/4.2.web150.gif" data-mid="106735084" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c945c90596ebab3824e0ba33efa491122c53c8e0a66070e9bb857c24d89b8e6d/4.2.web150.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4645303636bfdea4a338038fe37a35bebd254bb47018692e7732ef7ee996a8e8/4.3.1web150.jpg" data-mid="106735085" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4645303636bfdea4a338038fe37a35bebd254bb47018692e7732ef7ee996a8e8/4.3.1web150.jpg" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/507cd32e953962f04562864b2d8f703e23cedd8eba5711770dce9a3d6f7b6560/4.3.2web150.jpg" data-mid="106735086" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/507cd32e953962f04562864b2d8f703e23cedd8eba5711770dce9a3d6f7b6560/4.3.2web150.jpg" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/07b8bc533e7c10c4e956df663ecd94c69f0281fa37d45f9cb490a6917e5d9343/4.3.3web150.gif" data-mid="106735087" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/07b8bc533e7c10c4e956df663ecd94c69f0281fa37d45f9cb490a6917e5d9343/4.3.3web150.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b2c2bffa56cb2377b7da1042fcfe6e514f4a4c2063e7a3f90c3b96003720d171/4.3.4web150.gif" data-mid="106735088" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b2c2bffa56cb2377b7da1042fcfe6e514f4a4c2063e7a3f90c3b96003720d171/4.3.4web150.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5171936bc09208126051b48f9538f31d0a2ca5bb0269f8fa861bb6e8e1f0b859/4.5.web150corr.gif" data-mid="109648621" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5171936bc09208126051b48f9538f31d0a2ca5bb0269f8fa861bb6e8e1f0b859/4.5.web150corr.gif" /> <img width="1754" height="1240" width_o="1754" height_o="1240" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1bece1c147dccf08737f1530caf45c4a2b2a0d727a0ebed7cf2bfebbd5836605/4_LAST150.jpg" data-mid="106815130" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1bece1c147dccf08737f1530caf45c4a2b2a0d727a0ebed7cf2bfebbd5836605/4_LAST150.jpg" /> &nbsp; GUIDING QUESTIONS Why do ISPs comply with government requests to shut down the internet? What role do the ISPs’ shareholders play in such decisions? Can ISPs be held accountable for their actions? LEARNING OBJECTIVES This story problematizes the responsibility of internet service providers (ISPs) in politically motivated disruptions of access to (specific) internet services. ISPs, when faced with a government request to block internet access, can be confronted with conflicting local and international laws. National license agreements can contain clauses that require ISPs to temporarily shut down their services on government request during periods of national emergencies. If a company’s majority shareholders are headquartered in established democracies, they may be held accountable for their actions abroad. Under the EU Regulation No. 1215/2012 of 12 December 2012, for instance, victims of human rights violations can make a tort claim against companies domiciled in the European Union. In response to increasing pressure from civil society, many firms actively promote higher social corporate responsibility standards. In the telecom sector, a group of multinational internet companies, including Orange and Vodafone, founded the Global Network Initiative (https://globalnetworkinitiative.org/) that develops guidelines to respect freedom of expression and privacy. In 2020 the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice ruled that the September 2017 internet shutdown ordered by the Togolese government during protests is unlawful and a violation of the right to freedom of expression as protected by international law. Despite the illegality of many internet shutdowns, to date, no ISP has faced any legal consequences. REFERENCES MACKINNON, R. (2011). Liberation Technology: China's Networked Authoritarianism. Journal of Democracy 22(2): 32-46. Description of the pressure Chinese internet companies face when they do not follow a government order to censor or surveil internet traffic, such as a revocation of their license agreement. PARSONS, C. (2019). The (In) Effectiveness of Voluntarily Produced Transparency Reports.Business &amp; Society 58(1): 103-131. Some telecommunications companies disclose how often and on what grounds government agencies compel customer data or request content blocking or disruptions. This study demonstrates that the extent to which these transparency reports are useful in determining actual corporate behavior tends to be fairly limited. PIGRAU SOLÉ, A., ÁLVAREZ TORNÉ, M., CARDESA-SALZMANN, A., et al. (2016). Human Rights in European Business: A Practical Handbook for Civil Society Organisations and Human Rights Defenders. Tarragona Centre for Environmental Law Studies. Introduction of EU regulations that allow for the litigation against human rights violations by corporate actors legally registered in the European Union.&nbsp; RODAN, G. (1998).The Internet and Political Control in Singapore. Political Science Quarterly 113(1): 63-89. Discussion of the role of government licenses in controlling the provision of internet access and content in Singapore.&nbsp; SCHERER, A., &amp; PALAZZO, G. (2011). The New Political Role of Business in a Globalized World – A Review of a New Perspective on CSR and its Implications for the Firm, Governance, and Democracy. Journal of Management Studies 48(4): 899-931. Discussion of the concept of social corporate responsibility, which provides an overview of how multinational corporations can address human rights violations.&nbsp;