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What is G-shift and what does it mean for the future of the internet
G-shift is shorthand for the act of changing a website’s location so that it comes from another country or jurisdiction. This effect is seen often on the net, with sites such as the Pirate Bay and Wikipedia easily accessible through proxy servers in Estonia and Russia, respectively. This is done with the purpose of creating a buffer between users and liability. What will this mean for the future of the internet? It means that as G-shift becomes more widely known and accepted, governments will have a much more difficult time enforcing any laws against sites that are hosted outside of their own jurisdiction. It also means that the next time an organization like the RIAA or MPAA tries to force a site offline, someone in Russia, China, or even Iran will be there to provide a safe harbor.
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EDIT 1321 4/15/13: see comment thread for additional clarifications on how this all works. Please do not edit this main post as it will only make it more difficult to keep track of changes made over time. I’ve archived the original article to read while viewing this revision.
How will G-shift impact businesses and how can they prepare
Companies should take advantage of G-shift as a way to ensure their survival. If a company’s competitors align themselves with a foreign jurisdiction and the company does not, it will be cut off from prospective customers. It is therefore in the best interest of all companies to position themselves as a local business. This will be possible with the implementation of G-shift.
No matter how the government faces, businesses should always try to remain open-minded to change. If you have an outdated mindset, you will get caught up in all the chaos occurring in the world and in Japan. Hiding your head in the sand and erroneously thinking that changes are not affecting you is a big mistake. Smaller firms should also avoid this at all costs as they stand to lose a lot if they do not adapt themselves to these changes.
What changes will we see in online marketing and SEO
G-shift will revolutionize online marketing and SEO. As the internet becomes less centralized, search engine optimization will become more local in nature. This means that it is not just the placement of a business’ domain name in an advertisement that will make the difference, but it is the country of origin behind that domain that will matter most. Domains that are hosted in countries with higher online presence will be favored more. For example, if a web page is created by an individual or business in South Africa who wants to target United States customers, then they should choose a host country such as Colorado.
Localized marketing will also be more important. As more and more people shop online, even small businesses that can’t afford their own website will be able to market to local customers through digital ads on social media websites and apps. In fact, online marketing will shift so much to individual and small business focus that the influence of large corporations will disappear, and the internet will become more like a series of city-states than an interconnected global community. This can be seen already in some ways, as search engines have different ranking systems for different nationalities.
How will G-shift affect our day-to-day lives
G-shift will not only affect our day-to-day lives in terms of the internet, but it will also permeate into the physical world. As international borders become increasingly ineffective, people will find ways to take advantage of that, including tax evasion and moving large sums of money across legal jurisdictions. And since governments will not be able to be everywhere in the same way, crime will increase.
The destruction of privacy through surveillance is inevitable. It is happening right now to us all on a minute-to-minute basis. Surveillance cameras are everywhere. The Internet has made it possible to know everything that is being said, seen and thought by everyone with access to the networked world wide web. Soon they will be able to track you in real time, using technology that is already available and more coming online daily.
But this is only the beginning – the beginning of a long, harsh and dark period wherein we shall live in constant worry that someone may be watching us. And this will change everything. In journalism, in religion, in government, in education, in business – everywhere. It will change our time-tested institutions and break down trust. Industries previously thought to be secure will be forced to rethink their foundations. The media has already been forced to change with the advent of bloggers and cyber-journalists like WikiLeaks. How will governments adapt to this new world?
There are few positive indicators. The technology that has made G-shift possible is created by the same companies and individuals who take advantage of it for their own gain. It is too late to stop this technological upheaval, so we must all find ways to adapt.
What kind of security concerns should we have with G-shift
The advent of G-shift will raise concerns about the relative security of data and finances in the wake of regulatory measures that are taken against websites that are hosted outside of a jurisdiction’s borders. Companies will want to be certain of their own level of protection. There are options, however, including unique and powerful SSL certificates that utilize the data of the host’s own location. The fact that G-shift can permit this type of optimization is something to be further discussed.”
“The world has changed, and so have our traditional methods of securing data. We need new schemes. The question is how will these new schemes be used? What kind of security concerns should we have with G-shift?”
The problem comes down to the fact that a user’s IP address will be on the same level as security certificates, which is completely unacceptable for a cloud service. It leaves users vulnerable if their IP address changes.
This is where the G-shift team has stepped in. They have developed new methods of creating certificates that are not dependent on IP addresses and other information that users’ have no control over. Currently, users have to rely on their network provider or a third party for security certificates because they cannot choose what kind of server they want to run their websites from. When it comes to G-shift, however, users can choose the server type that best fits their needs.
