In a recent speech in South Carolina, Donald Trump said he would look into "closing up parts of the Internet" to fight ISIS. Well here's a fact that Trump may not be too happy to hear — America does not control the Internet everywhere in the world. Additionally, many American websites already censor terrorist activities.
So a hypothetical President Trump's only hope for turning off the Internet would be right here in America, and thanks to a very secretive government policy, he probably could.
Drafted in 2006, Standard Operating Procedure 303 gives the federal government the authority to disrupt cellular network activity in any given area during a national emergency. While Internet-enabled devices weren't quite a thing in 2006 (the iPhone had just debuted), nowadays a cellular disruption could hinder the Internet on many important pieces of technology.
In 2011, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a Freedom of Information Act Request asking the DHS to disclose the full text of SOP303. They are still fighting for disclosure in the Supreme Court.
So while Trump's words may seem ridiculous, they're not that far-fetched. Although would Trump really want to interrupt his constant media coverage by disrupting our Internet?
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