Shutdown Academy
60 mins
Mitigating Internet Shutdowns
- Abstract:
- This course will show some strategies that could mitigate some of the impact caused by internet shutdowns on your community or organization. It will focus on helping to understand what is an internet shutdown on a technical level and how to best protect yourself and others during one.
- About this course:
- The course is divided into chapters, and each one is comprised of a mix of video lessons and written materials especially crafted for each topic. The course also contains cade studies from regions that have suffered internet outages in the past.
- What do I learn:
- Identify the difference between concepts such as "internet shutdown" and "internet outage", as well as several strategies to communicate through different types of internet shutdowns and outages.
- What do I need to know:
- Basic understanding of internet shutdowns and how to assess the risk of one being put in place. The course assumes a general understanding of online messaging applications, the use of web browsers, and how to install and download apps.
Trainers
Andrés Azpúrua
Executive Director at VE Inteligente. Activist and researcher, working in the fields of digital security, civic tech and human rights online. Andrés and his team defend the rights of Venezuelans online and help protect activists, independent media and CSOs.
Valentina Aguana
Valentina Aguana is a Venezuelan digital rights activist, computer engineering student and a member of the NGO VE Sin Filtro since 2019. She monitors internet censorship events and analyses cyber attacks that target dissidents from the Venezuelan government. Valentina also gives training to journalists and activists regarding privacy and security issues.
- 1.1 Introduction to the course1.2 Internet Shutdowns: A Brief overview & emerging trends1.3 Forms of Internet Shutdowns and related terms1.4 Exploring likelihoods: Mapping political scenarios & expectations
- 2.1 How to anticipate a shutdown?2.2 What are the impacts of an internet shutdown?2.3 Prepare for an internet shutdown like you would prepare for a natural disaster2.4 Case study - Internet shutdown in Venezuela2.5 Identifying and shoring up vulnerable systems in an internet shutdowns
- 3.1 Circumvention and Anonymity in the context of a network shutdown3.2 What is a VPN?3.3 Accessing the net with VPNs3.4 Case study - Circumventing an internet shutdown in Kazakhstan3.5 Quiz - VPNs
- 4.1 Offline techniques & strategies for secure communication4.2 SMS Messaging and Silence App - Use Cases and Drawbacks4.3 Using Briar messaging app during total internet blackouts4.4 Local email services and Delta Chat - use cases & drawbacks4.5 Going old school and offline
- 5.1 Conclusion5.2 Course survey
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Suggested reading
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In Nigeria’s Northwestern Sokoto State, farm workers grapple with geopolitical challenges, shifting climate realities, and economic turbulence. However, they now face a new, growing threat: a troubling rise in internet disruptions, which threatens their ability to work in an increasingly digitally connected world. Read more.