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A New Tool to Measure Internet Resilience—Why It Matters

The Internet has become a critical infrastructure that underpins many aspects of modern society, including commerce, communication, and even government services. However, it is vulnerable to various threats, ranging from natural disasters to cyberattacks. Therefore, measuring the resilience of the internet is crucial to ensure that it can withstand these challenges and continue to operate effectively. Recently, a new tool called the Internet Resilience Index (IRI) has been developed to measure the resilience of the Internet, and it has the potential to transform how we evaluate and improve the Internet's reliability.


The IRI is a comprehensive framework that assesses the resilience of the internet based on six core components: physical infrastructure, digital infrastructure, institutional infrastructure, economic infrastructure, social infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Each component is further divided into several subcategories, and each subcategory is assigned a weight based on its relative importance. The IRI then uses various metrics to measure the performance of each subcategory and produces an overall score for each component and the internet as a whole.

The IRI is significant because it provides a standardized and objective way to assess the resilience of the internet. Before the development of the IRI, there was no widely accepted framework for measuring internet resilience, and assessments were often ad-hoc and inconsistent. This made it difficult to compare different assessments and identify areas for improvement. The IRI provides a common language for discussing internet resilience and allows policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to have a more informed and productive discussion on how to strengthen the internet's resilience.

Moreover, the IRI is useful because it can identify areas of weakness that need to be addressed. For example, suppose the IRI shows that a particular country has a low score in the cybersecurity component. In that case, policymakers and industry leaders can use this information to prioritize investments in cybersecurity infrastructure and initiatives to improve cybersecurity awareness and education. By addressing these weaknesses, the internet can become more resilient, reducing the risk of disruptions caused by cyberattacks and other threats.

Additionally, the IRI can be used to track changes in internet resilience over time. By conducting periodic assessments using the IRI, policymakers and industry leaders can evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts to improve the internet's resilience. They can identify areas where progress has been made and areas where more work is needed. This can help to ensure that resources are allocated effectively and that efforts to improve internet resilience are targeted and strategic.

Finally, the IRI can be used to compare the resilience of different countries and regions. This can help policymakers and industry leaders to learn from each other's experiences and identify best practices. For example, suppose a country with a high score in the institutional infrastructure component shares its policies and initiatives with other countries. In that case, these countries may be able to learn from these experiences and adopt similar measures to strengthen their institutional infrastructure.

In conclusion, the development of the Internet Resilience Index is a significant step forward in our ability to measure the resilience of the internet. It provides a standardized and objective way to assess the resilience of the internet and identify areas for improvement. By using the IRI, policymakers and industry leaders can have a more informed and productive discussion on how to strengthen the internet's resilience, allocate resources effectively, and track changes in internet resilience over time. Ultimately, the IRI can help to ensure that the internet remains a reliable and resilient infrastructure that underpins many aspects of modern society.

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