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Which makes me wonder - in the absence of the internet (e.g., disaster), what are good methods for organizing and disseminating information over a large area bo

Which makes me wonder - in the absence of the internet (e.g., disaster), what are good methods for organizing and disseminating information over a large area both electronic and non-electronic?

jandrese 7y ago
Historically Satellite Internet has been much too expensive and slow for cases like this, but with new constellations like StarLink coming online it might be feasible in the future. The problem is of course that if the military is trying to prevent communication it's pretty easy for them to triangulate on transmitters in the country and send guys with guns to confiscate them or worse.
hedora 7y ago
AM and FM radio. Also, leaflets and posters if it is a prolonged thing. I’ve heard the kids these days use p2p messaging on their phones (via bluetooth/wifi). That could work as a way to move large files with plausible deniability. (Edit: also, you should watch Max Headroom. They have a few prescient episodes on exactly this topic. The couple living out of a trailer, and the copyright crackdown episode come to mind.)
nexuist 7y ago
Mesh networks have already been used in protests to coordinate rebel operations. Apps like FireChat[1] allow non-technical users to set up their own meshnets that others can join within a certain radius. Theoretically, user devices can then act as repeaters/routers and extend the range of the entire network until it covers very large areas. In places like Cuba where the Internet is really slow, users resort to "sneakernets" which consist of thousands of flash drives spreading through roads and towns with other users downloading and uploading media (like music, news or movies) as they pass along. While the ping is atrocious, it gets the job done ;) As for non electronic methods: posters work well, as do pamphlets. In WWWII the Allies would use bombers to drop leaflets to spread propaganda as well as alert residents that their town was about to be bombed, so they had time to collect their belongings and get out. Of course these methods require an absurd amount of manpower compared to e.g. making a Facebook post or launching a WordPress site, which really makes you appreciate the power of modern communications platforms. I would argue that in the absence of the internet, the best method for organizing and disseminating information over a large area would simply be to restore the internet if possible, or just restart it otherwise. Since ARPANET was built with nuclear war concerns in mind, all of the protocols we got out of that already account for decentralization and sudden node introduction/disconnection. [1] https://qz.com/922010/meshkit-the-tech-behind-firechat-can-send-messages-and-music-without-the-internet/ https://qz.com/922010/meshkit-the-tech-behind-firechat-can-s... [2] https://boingboing.net/2018/05/03/inside-cubas-massive-weekly.html https://boingboing.net/2018/05/03/inside-cubas-massive-weekl...

Which makes me wonder - in the absence of the internet (e.g., disaster), what are good methods for organizing and disseminating information over a large area both electronic and non-electronic?

jandrese 7y ago

Historically Satellite Internet has been much too expensive and slow for cases like this, but with new constellations like StarLink coming online it might be feasible in the future. The problem is of course that if the military is trying to prevent communication it's pretty easy for them to triangulate on transmitters in the country and send guys with guns to confiscate them or worse.

hedora 7y ago

AM and FM radio. Also, leaflets and posters if it is a prolonged thing. I’ve heard the kids these days use p2p messaging on their phones (via bluetooth/wifi). That could work as a way to move large files with plausible deniability. (Edit: also, you should watch Max Headroom. They have a few prescient episodes on exactly this topic. The couple living out of a trailer, and the copyright crackdown episode come to mind.)

nexuist 7y ago

Mesh networks have already been used in protests to coordinate rebel operations. Apps like FireChat[1] allow non-technical users to set up their own meshnets that others can join within a certain radius. Theoretically, user devices can then act as repeaters/routers and extend the range of the entire network until it covers very large areas. In places like Cuba where the Internet is really slow, users resort to "sneakernets" which consist of thousands of flash drives spreading through roads and towns with other users downloading and uploading media (like music, news or movies) as they pass along. While the ping is atrocious, it gets the job done ;) As for non electronic methods: posters work well, as do pamphlets. In WWWII the Allies would use bombers to drop leaflets to spread propaganda as well as alert residents that their town was about to be bombed, so they had time to collect their belongings and get out. Of course these methods require an absurd amount of manpower compared to e.g. making a Facebook post or launching a WordPress site, which really makes you appreciate the power of modern communications platforms. I would argue that in the absence of the internet, the best method for organizing and disseminating information over a large area would simply be to restore the internet if possible, or just restart it otherwise. Since ARPANET was built with nuclear war concerns in mind, all of the protocols we got out of that already account for decentralization and sudden node introduction/disconnection. [1] https://qz.com/922010/meshkit-the-tech-behind-firechat-can-send-messages-and-music-without-the-internet/ https://qz.com/922010/meshkit-the-tech-behind-firechat-can-s... [2] https://boingboing.net/2018/05/03/inside-cubas-massive-weekly.html https://boingboing.net/2018/05/03/inside-cubas-massive-weekl...