China is presenting with Huawei and Chinese operators a new internet protocol called New IP, before the International Telecommunications Union. It is actually a modification of the TCP / IP protocol with several features that seem to facilitate censorship of authoritarian regimes.
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At the heart of what allows the internet to function, there is a suite of protocols designed in the 1970s and 1980s, called TCP / IP. The name itself is suggestive – it recalls the two protocols behind the Internet: the IP protocol for Internet Protocol which assigns unique addresses to different points on the network and the TCP or Transmission Control Protocol which manages data transmission .
It is on this protocol suite that what is called the so-called application layer is added with the “network applications” that are HHTP / HTTPS, SSH, DNS or even FTP to name a few. We therefore understand that any modification of the TCPI / IP protocol leads to a profound modification of the rules of the game for network applications.
New IP, the future of the Internet according to China
And it is with all this in mind that thewe discover an article from the Financial Times talking about New IP, new internet protocol proposed by an interest group that brings together China, Huawei and Chinese operators before the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). At first glance, New IP is rather progress in the right direction, since the standard allows more efficient addressing as well as better network management.
But Pmany of its features are cause for concern. In particular the presence ofa kill switch, a kind of emergency stop button that allows a central actor to isolate an IP address from the rest of the network. The latter will then no longer be able to send or receive data. Other concerns arise around the fact that addresses but also packets sent and received would be linked to the identity of the owner of the computer or the owner of the connection.
So many features that make the system perfect for authoritarian regimes who practice censorship on their network, but also very worrying for the rest of the world. For its part, Huawei minimizes this dimension to emphasize the technical needs that this new protocol must meet. The firm sees this new system as essential for connected cars for example. And stresses that the standard is “Open to engineers and scientists around the world”.
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It remains to be seen whether this openness is likely to reduce the authoritarian dimension of this project. Or what the ITU and its members will do with it. The TCP / IP system is far from perfect, but there is something very reassuring in the fact that it does not necessarily seek to identify and control everything centrally.
Source: Financial times
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