Afghanistan internet blackout ’a wake-up call’ for blockchain decentralization

Afghanistan's recent nationwide internet outage highlighted a significant vulnerability in decentralized blockchains, which are dependent on centralized internet providers. The blackout lasted about 48 hours, reportedly as a result of a Taliban-ordered disruption. This incident affected around 13 million citizens and marked the first nationwide internet shutdown under the Taliban rule. Michail Angelov, co-founder of Roam Network, emphasized that when connectivity is controlled by a few centralized providers, the benefits of blockchain technology can be jeopardized. The outage serves as a wake-up call for the need for decentralized alternatives to centralized internet services. Initiatives like Roam and World Mobile are aimed at creating decentralized internet infrastructure to provide more resilient connectivity solutions. Advocates believe that the potential of blockchain for financial freedom and censorship resistance cannot be fully realized without a more distributed internet.

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