The polyfill.js is a popular open source library to support older browsers. 100K+ sites embed it using the cdn.polyfill.io domain. Notable users are JSTOR, Intuit and World Economic Forum. However, in February this year, a Chinese company bought the domain and the Github account. Since then, this domain was caught injecting malware on mobile devices via any site that embeds cdn.polyfill.io. Any complaints were quickly removed (archive here) from the Github repository.
All it would really take is internet providers to black hole the China AS numbers in their BGP configs. Then boom China basically can’t talk to the rest of the world.
This should be done with the new axis of evil and let them see how much they truly hate and “need” the destruction of the decadent West. Its insane their shenanigans are still being tolerated at all, cut em off and let them build their own self-sustaining economies and force the West to eliminate their dependance on mercurial and malicious actors on the world stage.
Let’s not make the splinternet a reality, pretty please.
Chinese scaling and manufacturing, Russian IT expertise, Iranian experience of sanctions evasion and North Korean hacking and remote operations mastery are not the combo you want to bet against.
They would absolutely build the self-sustaining economy and rival networks, but in the process it would destroy the Internet as we know it, and break communication channels that are vital for democracy and international peace, while also breaking communications between relatives and friends on the two sides.
China is already trying quite hard with its Great Firewall. We don’t need to make their job easier for them.