Is the internet becoming less open?

Is the internet becoming less open?
Kevin Townsend, 20 February 2020

Nationalism is fueling the isolation of the internet



The internet stands alone among technological advances as the single biggest factor in unifying the globe. No other invention has allowed people to communicate on such a scale and with such flexibility as the world wide web, and everything from trade to romance to politics have undergone an online revolution. However, with rising nationalism in many countries, fears over privacy and safety, and increasing geopolitical tensions, many nations are beginning to isolate their internet, eroding the open, global nature of the web.
Balkanization
Internet Balkanization is the isolation of a nation’s local internet from the global world wide web. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Risks Report 2020 calls it “fragmentation” and considers the process a major threat to the global economy.
Balkanization is rarely total; there are very few countries with an entirely segregated internet. It is usually achieved through government control of the internet access points (that is, ISPs for users and national ingress/egress points for traffic in general). Control at the internet service provider (ISP) level allows governments to dictate the extent (allowed and forbidden websites) that citizens can access both the local and global internet.
The motivation for balkanization is usually national control. In less extreme examples, it can protect citizens from harmful content. However, where national isolation is strong, the result is to bolster the power of the state and protect the government from dissent. Balkanization can also result from legal pressures; for example, where online content that may be legal in some countries is illegal in the home country. Economic pressures from private and corporate interests also play a part. 
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