The USA can shut down the entire internet by deactivating root DNS servers based there
The claim is refuted because the internet's Domain Name System relies on a globally distributed network of root server mirrors (Anycast) rather than a single cluster in the USA, meaning deactivating servers in one location would not shut down the global internet.
The provided papers emphasize that the DNS has inherent redundancy and that researchers actively develop decentralized frameworks to mitigate centralized control risks, showing that the internet cannot be brought down by targeting root servers in a single geographic jurisdiction. None of the retrieved papers support the claim.
Apurva Tamhankar, S. Dhavale, Arun Mishra, Balaji Rajendran, Gopinath Palaniappan. Blockchain Based Decentralized Technology For Internet Naming Systems. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1109/R10-HTC57504.2023.10461759
Paper discusses how decentralized blockchain naming systems remove single points of failure like traditional root server dependencies.
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Linkai Zhu, Shanwen Hu, Zeyu Zhang, Changpu Meng. A Cross-Chain Solution to Connect Multiple DNS Blockchains in Consensus Roots System. 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15137422
Paper highlights the security risks of centralized domain architectures and proposes distributed root systems to ensure long-term stability.
Linkai Zhu, Shanwen Hu, Zeyu Zhang, Changpu Meng, Lu Liu. Cross-DNS: Domain resolution with a reputation-driven cross-chain framework for global expansion. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12083-025-02191-6
Paper notes that traditional centralized DNS architectures face significant challenges with centralized control, motivating distributed frameworks to control such risks.
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