Donald Trump is now calling for a complete Internet shutdown in a speech he delivered Monday in South Carolina where he also demanded a ban on Muslims entering the U.S.
Citing that the Internet is being used to radicalize people, Trump announced that he will "see Bill Gates" to see how he could close the Internet up, Independent reported. "We're losing a lot of people because of the Internet," the GOP presidential candidate said in an International Business Times report. "We have to see Bill Gates and a lot of different people that really understand what's happening. We have to talk to them about, maybe in certain areas, closing that Internet up in some ways."
Banning the Internet appears to be part of Trump's proposal to defeat ISIS. As political rivals begin identifying the role of social media in ISIS recruitment in recent days, Trump quickly pounced on the most extreme action, possibly to appeal to his core supporters. It is, however, not clear how he would go about closing the Internet in order to prevent domestic terrorism. However, calling Gates and "different people" who perhaps include tech luminaries that Trump thinks he could negotiate with in order to shut down the web, indicates a poor understanding of how the Internet works.
Like the ban on Muslims and walling-up the U.S., Trump's Internet comment was widely embraced by his audience (watch the speech below). It has, however, provoked strong criticisms on the Internet, The Guardian reported.
