Cache to the Future: A Distributed Webpage Archive for Internet Blackouts

Abstract

Internet blackouts, occurring due to technological mishaps or intentional governmental action, prevent citizens from accessing the internet. Citizens in regions where internet blackouts are common have utilized blackout-resistant technologies to maintain communication. Such technologies often rely on mobile mesh networks to provide limited messaging services. However, no technology currently exists which can provide continued access to knowledge sources on the web during a blackout. We present Cache to the Future (CttF): a system to cache and deliver static content hosted on the web during a blackout. CttF's distributed community ratings crowdsources caching at scale while cryptographic constructs (digital signatures, proofs-of-work) mitigate adversarial interference. Our realistic simulations demonstrate CttF delivering content at city-scale across a wide range of benign and adversarial scenarios.