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by lillecarl 156 days ago
I highly doubt the Swedish government has a way to turn off our internet. Our government doesn't own our internet infrastructure, it's owned by private companies. The government could impose legislation to force providers to comply with shutting down international peering but I have a hard time seeing it pass.
7 comments

Well. I can't talk for the current government of Sweden, but if I was the supreme leader of a Swedish Dictatorship, I am pretty confident that I could accomplish that by sending some very persuasive soldiers along with a government officer with some papers ordering those private companies to do whatever the fuck I wanted unless their executives wanted to experience some extra holes in their bodies.
Luckily Sweden is not a dictatorship and doesn't have a supreme leder. Our government can't just hand-wave things. There's the legislative branch which must've had the foresight to make laws that allows the executive branch to order operators to comply.

The parent asked "Which technologically advanced democratic countries DON'T have this capability already developed and deployed?" and there are many, every country on earth isn't run by warmongering corrupt idiots.

>Our government can't just hand-wave things.

Famous last words.

In case of war or major cataclysmic event, your government will definitely just hand-wave a lot of things you take for granted in order to keep the country and society from collapsing, including elections, democracy, freedom of speech, internet access, travel, etc since then the nation's survival becomes more important than your individual rights and freedom. See Covid hysteria, Ukraine war, etc.

I think coddled people from rich countries who never saw anything but prosperity since WW2 and no conflicts or events with major loss of life, have no idea just how radical governments can switch in an instant when society is threatened with collapse.

Guys with guns can be pretty convincing
Does Sweden not have the equivalent of the UK's civil contingency act?

Section 2 basically allows the Westminster government to make regulations as they see fit during an emergency, but with a short time scale (like a month or so) before parliament gets a say.

> I highly doubt the Swedish government has a way to turn off our internet

You guys do. Säpo and Telia were a customers of mine when I was still an IC.

The providers have to oblige any government order.
> Our government doesn't own our internet infrastructure,

Does ANY country from the list above own their internet infrastructure?

>it's owned by private companies.

So what? If it's on Swedish ground then it's under Swedish government(military) enforcement in case the shit hits the fan.

>The government could impose legislation to force providers to comply with shutting down international peering but I have a hard time seeing it pass.

Do you think if Russia invades Sweden tomorrow, private businesses can still do whatever they want like in peacetime, or will they have to follow the new waartime rules set by the government and enforced by armed soldiers knocking on their door dragging them to court if they refuse to comply?

> Do you think if Russia invades Sweden tomorrow, private businesses can still do whatever they want like in peacetime

Pretty much

> or will they have to follow the new waartime rules set by the government and enforced by armed soldiers knocking on their door dragging them to court if they refuse to comply?

They'll be dragging them to court. We're a democracy, we don't just send soldiers after our own.

No offense but you're out of touch with reality if you think that's how a country under existential threat acts, still treating citizens with oven mitts and keeping lengthy bureaucratic due processes for everything.

I think this type of idealistic fantasy world mentality is exactly why Europe has been so ill prepared to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.