Shutdown

The Shutdown was a major world event, during which the entire world's digital infrastructure was brought down by a virus overnight on 03/01/2050. It signaled the collapse of the postmodern age, and was responsible for the rise of AmTech in the state.

Events
Around midday in January 2050, a virus was released, which brought down the world's internet servers and corrupted all connected physical drives. Satellites were shut down, and there were no communication lines available to the public. This plunged society into chaos. Millions of people died due to starvation, riots and killings. When the emergency government was formed in March 2050, almost half of the population was dead or missing. Using the backup servers and generators of AmTech, the internet 2.0, or 2net, was launched on 04/04/2050 in what became known as the Reboot.

Causes
There are two prevailing theories as to who unleashed the virus. The official government statement blamed an unknown fault in the code of internet which would be resolved with the 2net. Many people found it suspicious that AmTech had seemingly stocked servers and infrastructure the previous years that came in very handy in the situation. However, the virus was destroyed with the old physical drives soon after AmTech came to power.