The American Firewall: Feasibility and Consequences

The provided text explores the technical, legal, and consequential feasibility of establishing a national internet firewall in the U.S., drawing parallels to China's "Great Firewall." It explains how such a system, while technically achievable by leveraging existing technologies and targeting concentrated internet infrastructure, faces significant legal and constitutional hurdles, particularly concerning the First Amendment. The source outlines various legal and political strategies an administration might employ to compel private sector cooperation under a national security pretext. Finally, it details the severe economic, geopolitical, and social repercussions, including stifling innovation, fragmenting the global internet, eroding international credibility, and suppressing domestic dissent.

Research done with the help of artificial intelligence, and presented by two AI-generated hosts.

Authoritarian regimes often employ national firewalls to exert greater control over their populations.