The first 24 hours without the internet: Is the world prepared? – Expert comment

Recent events in October have once again highlighted the vulnerability of global internet infrastructure. A sudden worldwide internet outage would mean far more than our devices no longer working; it could bring modern civilisation to a complete standstill within minutes.

What would happen if the internet really disappeared worldwide?

Information technology expert Amrah Movsumzade told TodayPress TV that the internet is no longer merely a means of exchanging information, but one of the core infrastructures connecting the modern world’s economy, communications, banking systems, public services and everyday life.

“If the internet were to stop functioning entirely worldwide, the consequences would be felt first and foremost in communications, finance, transport, trade and public administration. Banking transactions, online payments, e-commerce, cloud services and the operations of many digital platforms would be severely restricted. Business processes at companies that depend on the internet could grind to a halt, while international companies could face problems with information exchange and supply chains.

“An important point here is that an internet outage does not automatically mean that all electricity systems, telephone lines or communication services would stop working. Some mobile networks, traditional telephone services, radio communications and certain satellite communication services could continue to operate. However, since these systems also depend on the internet and other digital infrastructure, they too could experience partial disruptions.”

He noted that cybersecurity issues would be particularly important in such a scenario.

“An internet outage does not necessarily have to result from a cyberattack. Physical damage to undersea fibre-optic cables, power supply problems, large-scale failures in routing systems, issues with DNS infrastructure or the simultaneous failure of several critical services could cause serious internet disruptions in individual regions. Nevertheless, a complete and simultaneous shutdown of the entire global internet would be a more complex and extreme scenario.

“A prolonged global internet outage could also increase the risks of information gaps and disinformation. People would struggle to obtain timely information, while businesses and government agencies would be forced to switch to alternative communication channels. In such circumstances, the importance of backup communication systems, alternative data centres and pre-prepared emergency response plans would become even more apparent.”

The expert stressed that the issue was also highly relevant for Azerbaijan.

“Given the dependence of digital banking, e-government services, online trade, telecommunications and business processes on the internet, a large-scale outage could affect both citizens and economic activity. That is why backup copies of critical systems, alternative communication channels, continuity of power supplies and mechanisms for responding to incidents promptly must be strengthened.”

According to him, it is important to distinguish between the possibility of the internet disappearing entirely and outages affecting specific regions or individual services.

“The internet is a distributed, multi-layered infrastructure. Therefore, a failure at one point does not usually bring down the internet across the entire world simultaneously. However, recent events show that the resilience of digital systems depends not only on technological advancement but also on contingency planning, cybersecurity measures and the availability of alternative solutions.

“The key is not to assume that the internet will never go down, but to ensure that society’s economy and critical services can continue operating even when it becomes unavailable for a certain period.”

Jala Rovshan