"Create a problem, create the solution and profit from it" is not unique to Turkmenistan nor a new concept. I wouldn't be surprised if this is also true of the "anti-AI crawling" and "identity verification" stuff that's now showing up.
NetBlocks Cost of Shutdown Tool™ (COST) is a data-driven online service that enables anyone – including journalists, researchers, advocates, policy makers, businesses, and others – to quickly and easily produce rough estimates of the economic cost of Internet disruptions.
https://progres.online/reports/internet-freedom/what-does-in...
"It indicates that a total internet shutdown in Turkmenistan for one day could result in a loss of 17.4 million USD, which translates to 6.4 billion USD per year, equivalent to around 7.8% of the country’s GDP in 2023."
Some people voice concern about the emergence of “prison planet” (a phrase with varied meanings), but with the rise of mass surveillance, drone tech, AI and authoritarianism I can well imagine the worst patterns of governance finding a stable equilibrium for a considerable period of time.
duxup•4h ago
That’s a lot.