At the end of January, after Hosni Mubarak turned off the internet in Egypt with a half a dozen phone calls, I wrote a blog post which proposed Hosni’s Law.
Hosni’s Law states that by the time an autocrat turns off the internet, it is too late for him.
I wrote this post, in part, in response to the worry expressed by Fred Wilson and across the blogosphere regarding the ease with which this internet shut down was achieved.
Mubarak stepping down today provides evidence to support Hosni’s Law.
Autocratic leaders across the Middle East who are currently under increasing pressure to at the least establish real reform now know that attempting a similar maneuver will prove ineffective and be perceived as a sign of weakness, not strength.
One less arrow in the quiver for these fuckers.
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