The rising threat of cyber crime and government espionage could force countries to run their own private internets, according to security firm Kaspersky.
CEO Eugene Kaspersky said that such a move would stifle the development of IT projects andcut the resources of global firms including Google, Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks.
"I’m afraid that this [Edward] Snowden case will force governments, nations, to develop their own internet segments for governments and for enterprises," Kaspersky told Bloomberg.
"This is fragmentation of the internet, and I’m afraid that it will damage the global network because the global internet companies will have fewer resources, less investment."
The security firm also warned that cyber crime is on rise and Snowden’s disclosures have intensified technology firms’ concerns about spying, which could even lead to using paper to store critical data.
According to another security expert from Kaspersky, Alexander Gostev, currently only China has a domestic server-operated national network, while several countries have either regulated or are working on laws to limit the use of foreign servers.
Recently, tech firms including Apple, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL, Google, LinkedIn, and Twitter jointly formed a ‘Reform Government Surveillance’ group following the revelations around the NSA’s spying activities.
