Designing Networks for Large-Scale Blackout Circumvention
Shaddi Hasan
EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley
Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2013-230
December 19, 2013
http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2013/EECS-2013-230.pdf
Large-scale communications blackouts, such as those carried out by Egypt and Libya in 2011 and Syria in 2012 and 2013, have motivated a series of projects that aim to enable citizens to communicate even in the face of such heavy-handed censorship efforts. A common theme across these proposals has been the use of wireless mesh networks. We argue that such networks are poorly equipped to serve as a meaningful countermeasure against large-scale blackouts due to their intrinsically poor scaling properties. We further argue that projects in this space must consider safety of both users and network operators as a first-order design priority. From these two insights, we frame a definition of dissent networks to capture the essential requirements for blackout circumvention solutions.
Advisors: Eric Brewer
BibTeX citation:
@mastersthesis{Hasan:EECS-2013-230, Author= {Hasan, Shaddi}, Title= {Designing Networks for Large-Scale Blackout Circumvention}, School= {EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley}, Year= {2013}, Month= {Dec}, Url= {http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2013/EECS-2013-230.html}, Number= {UCB/EECS-2013-230}, Abstract= {Large-scale communications blackouts, such as those carried out by Egypt and Libya in 2011 and Syria in 2012 and 2013, have motivated a series of projects that aim to enable citizens to communicate even in the face of such heavy-handed censorship efforts. A common theme across these proposals has been the use of wireless mesh networks. We argue that such networks are poorly equipped to serve as a meaningful countermeasure against large-scale blackouts due to their intrinsically poor scaling properties. We further argue that projects in this space must consider safety of both users and network operators as a first-order design priority. From these two insights, we frame a definition of dissent networks to capture the essential requirements for blackout circumvention solutions.}, }
EndNote citation:
%0 Thesis %A Hasan, Shaddi %T Designing Networks for Large-Scale Blackout Circumvention %I EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley %D 2013 %8 December 19 %@ UCB/EECS-2013-230 %U http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2013/EECS-2013-230.html %F Hasan:EECS-2013-230