How To Stop Cheats? Shut Down The Internet!

When it comes to the internet, the idea is that no single point failing can ever stop it with node after node picking up the slack from a single point failing. So how do you stop people cheating using the internet? Iraq seems to have found the answer, you shut down the internet.

The shutdown is being reported by data research group DYN research. The company specialises in tracking outages on the world wide web and found that for three hours on Saturday, Sunday and even Monday, Iraq almost completely lost its connection to the internet.

While the three hours between 5am and 8am may seem strange, it follows a pattern that was carried out last year after the Iraqi government ordered the internet shut off to help prevent cheating in the final exams for sixth-grade students.

Posting the findings on their twitter page, the theory seems to fit as internet provider Earthlink posted on facebook saying that “as instructed by the ministry of communication” they were going to cut off internet access between the hours of 5 and 8 am to coincide with the timing of exams in the country.

While it’s not the first country to shut down internet access during exams, with countries like Uzbekistan and the Indian state of Gujarat shutting down internet access to prevent cheating, is shutting down access to the internet a step too far to stop you googling your answers?