US: Activists successfully test 'off-grid' Mesh network to deal with internet shutdown

Mycelium Mesh Project activists have begun preparing for a possible internet blackout, as they have been testing a decentralised, off-grid network, according to Vice. According to a statement on the project's website, corporate Internet cannot be trusted because it can rapidly become unavailable due to natural disasters or the government's involvement during protests or a coup d'etat. 

Mesh networks have been developed by activists. These are made up of solar-powered relay nodes that can be installed at any moment across an area, especially in high-up sites such as utility poles, treetops and skyscrapers, as well as peer nodes that people carry with them. Individuals can use their cell phones to send and receive messages even when the internet and energy are unavailable.

Mesh networks successfully tested by exchanging text messages

The project's supporters believe it is attack-resistant and simple to construct using locally available materials. The project's mesh networks were successfully tested by delivering and receiving text messages across a distance of 13 miles in Atlanta, Georgia.

The nodes were powered by rechargeable batteries that had previously been used in electronic cigarettes throughout the test, according to Vice. Activists are now working on encrypting messages and devising techniques to make nodes appropriate for long-distance communication.

The government chose not to shut down communication networks during last summer's Black liberation uprisings in the United States. Instead, it appeared to be gathering information in a systematic manner using stingrays and dirt boxes, which collect data from a large number of cell phones.

But according to Kautz, a shutdown is possible next time. The development of the Mycelium Mesh Project is still in its early phases. The concept isn't ready for long-term use and messages aren't encrypted, which is a requirement for activists, according to Vice.

239 Internet shutdowns in 45 countries since 2019

A Burmese human rights activist in Myanmar told Wired UK that internet cutoff does not occur when things are good. According to them, the authorities are "repressing the protesters and killing civilians." There have been 239 Internet shutdowns in 45 countries since 2019, according to Internet research firm Top10VPN.

Image: Unsplash/@Leon Seibert