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Internet Security
Seven "keys" to restart the web distributed
Englishman and six others chosen to safeguard the web.
THE FUTURE OF THE internet lies in the hands of seven people around the world. Special ‘keys’ which are capable of restarting the web in the wake of a catastrophic events have been distributed to a select few, the BBC reports.
British internet entrepreneur Paul Kane, who is based in Bath, has been named as the key holder for western Europe. The other six are in the US, Burkino Faso, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, China and the Czech Republic.
In the event of an extreme event such as a major terrorist attack, Kane and the other keyholders may have to travel to a secret, secure, location in the US to reboot the web. Five of the seven keys, or smartcards, are necessary to recreate the ‘master key’, the Domain Name System Security which ensures sites are registered.
A video explaining the keys can be found here.
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