Control-point analysis explores location of control as leverage power and influence dynamics among actors in the cyber and international relations realms.
Here we illustrate the mode of inquiry by presenting two research initiatives. The first is on access control in China; the second is a general application of control point analysis on the Internet focusing on Google.
Access in China
The figure maps the autonomous systems for access to China (for April 2018 and verified August 2019) and the jurisdiction of registration. The red points identify autonomous systems registered in China; the grey points are those registered by other entities. Even the most cursory look can easily identify very few key points of control and note that they are all registered in China. See Choucri and Agarwal (2019) for related views of access control in China.
AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS (AS) NODES FOR INTERNET ACCESS IN CHINA, APRIL 2018 Source: Choucri, N., & Agarwal, G. (2019). Securing the long-chain of cyber-physical global communication infrastructure Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST), 1–7.
Note: Nodes in Red and Gray color indicate AS located within and outside China respectively.
Control Points for China
Control points analysis seeks to identify the leverage points and the managers of these points throughout the Internet It is about the actors that actually manage and operate regions of the Internet are Internet service providers. Within their Internet regions, the actors exercise ultimate control of the completion of connections; if they do not forward the digital information packets that make Internet transfers work, the operation fails.
The figure below shows the control points for a typical ISP in the United States. Developed by David D. Clark, this case of control point analysis one of several, all designed to provide a comparative perspective on Who does What, When, How and Why – as well as with those impacts. Different actors or entities have control over different points on the Internet with different forms of influence.
POINTS OF CONTROL AS USED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA
Source: Choucri, N., & Clark, D. D. (2019). International relations in the cyber age: The co-evolution dilemma. MIT Press.
Note: Distinction between primary actor (e.g., the ISP) and the state is not illustrated.
References:
- Choucri, N., & Clark, D. D. (2019). International relations in the cyber age: The co-evolution dilemma. MIT Press. https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/international-relations-cyber-age
- Choucri, N., & Agarwal, G. (2019). Securing the long-chain of cyber-physical global communication infrastructure. Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST), 1–7. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141740