How nationalism gave birth to the splinternet

The internet is changing. The outcome of the recent spat between the Centre and Twitter is one among many instances which may alter the future of the world wide web. The open web, now a mere shadow of its former self, is often dubbed as the splinternet. Mint decodes.

What is a splinternet and its core principle?

A fusion of the words “split” and “internet”, the splinternet is a fragmented version of the world wide web with national identities. The reasons for this ‘split’ include global politics, national security, religion and more. In its original form, the internet transcended borders and allowed people unfettered access to virtually everything, while the splinternet limits citizens’ access to data, forces businesses to keep data within borders, and even changes how they operate within a state.