Author Archive

Nathan Messer

Nathan Messer is currently an undergraduate student at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is studying Government and has a strong interest in the Human Rights field. Nathan is also a member of William & Mary's NCAA Division 1 men's soccer team.

On November 17th, 2019, Iran cut out access to the internet. This meant that the Iranian government could repress protests over increased gas prices without making much news. Reportedly, 180 people were killed in the process, yet people were mostly unable to share information about the repressive acts of the government. This is only one recent case of hundreds of governmental internet blackouts that have been performed in 2019. At present, countries are facing very little consequences for shutting down their citizens’ access to the internet. In a world where the internet is playing an increasingly important role both in daily life and political contestation, very little is being done to safeguard access to the internet. What is needed is a serious shift in …