No One Marches Randomly: A Holistic Rebuild of Protest Mobility Models During Internet Shutdowns

Contributor(s)

Cora Rowena Ruiz, Sarah Radway, David Inyangson, Tushar M. Jois, Nelly Fazio, James Mickens

Abstract

This talk will examine the dynamics of internet shutdowns, such as where and how shutdowns occur, their impact on communities, and why currently available mesh messaging applications fall short. I will show that these underperforming mesh networks are often evaluated with tools that do not accurately represent how protesters move - often ignoring social, physical, and geospatial factors. In response, I will introduce a holistic approach to developing mobility models grounded in crowd science and firsthand documentation. The goal of this work is to develop a better understanding of how cryptographic trust protocols are executed on the ground, and how this knowledge can be used to build more informed and practical solutions.