All About Internet Blackouts

Internet access is increasingly more important to day-to-day life, with Amazon shopping, social media, working from home, listening to Spotify on commutes, online schooling, and more being commonplace. When internet connectivity is disrupted during an internet blackout, however, it can lead to major issues.

Here’s what internet blackouts are and how you can potentially protect yourself from them.

What are Internet Blackouts?

Also known as:

• Internet outages
• Internet shutdowns

Blackouts refer to partial or complete disruption of internet access. They can be small or large-scale events and can impact services and activities like credit card use, healthcare services, remote work applications, and much more.

What Causes Internet Outages?

There is no single reason why outages occur. It can be a single accidental reason, a chain of events, or a deliberate attempt to throttle the internet.

Specific reasons that the internet can shut down include:

1. Cybersecurity attacks (cyberattacks). Bad actors can target specific internet service providers (ISPs) or connected devices to impact internet access.
2. Extreme weather events. Extreme heat, extreme cold, high winds, heavy rain, and more can all negatively impact internet connectivity.
3. Solar storms. Experts believe that a massive solar storm could potentially lead to a so-called “internet apocalypse,” a long-term global internet outage. That said, the likelihood of a complete global internet outage is incredibly low.
4. Equipment malfunctions. Like any other system, internet networks require physical equipment to function. That equipment can malfunction from time to time for many reasons, including human error and weather damage. No matter why the equipment malfunctions, widespread damage and malfunctions of this equipment can lead to a partial or complete shutdown.
5. Government and police interference. Authoritative bodies like governments and police organizations can partially or fully restrict access to the internet. Reasons for this interference can include silencing opposition or for security measures.

What Can You Do During an Internet Blackout?

There are steps you can take to troubleshoot why you cannot connect to the internet and potentially restore access, including:

• Restarting equipment. Sometimes the solution really is as simple as “turn it off and then turn it back on.” Try restarting your computer or router to see if your access is restored.
• Wait it out. If you have satellite or Wi-Fi internet and are experiencing bad weather, you may simply have to wait out the storm since it could well be what’s causing your issues.
• Contacting customer support. When all else fails, you can contact your internet provider to learn more about potential outages and ways to restore your access.

How Can You Protect Yourself from an Internet Shutdown?

You can’t always prevent internet shutdowns, but you can take steps to protect yourself and your equipment in the event of one.

• Use a secure Wi-Fi network. Avoid public Wi-Fi, if possible. Shared networks are vulnerable to malware and other cyberattacks.
• Switch to a different connection type. Fiber optic internet is more resilient against weather-related outages than Fixed Wireliness (like 5G) and satellite internet connections are.
• Learn about virtual private networks (VPNs). Citizens in some countries have limited or no access to uncensored internet. In these locations, many people turn to VPNs. VPNs spoof or otherwise hide IP addresses, essentially tricking servers and ISPs into thinking that users are in a different location than they actually are.
• Create physical copies of important information. If you live in an area prone to blackouts, you can print important records, like healthcare records or proof of identity, to have these documents ready in the event of blackout.
• Use a secure domain name system (DNS) server. DNS servers like CloudFlare are considered more secure and could help protect you from malicious online attacks.
• Learn more about shutdowns. Organizations like NetBlocks offer free resources on Internet freedom, government interference of internet access, and more.
• Unplug equipment during adverse weather events. Unplugging equipment can help protect it from power surges during adverse weather events. For example, unplugging modems can protect them during thunderstorms.

Is There an Internet Outage in My Area?

You can check for real-time blackouts in your area by visiting https://www.thousandeyes.com/outages/.

Disclaimers: This article is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers are responsible for learning about the legality of certain actions, like downloading a VPN, in their respective jurisdictions.