Node deletion is used to test the robustness and the attack tolerance of networks.
Application varies across many fields, including the breakdown of the World Wide Web via router removal, elimination of epidemics or fighting against criminal organizations.
When node deletion is combined with other processes, the topology of the network can change drastically.
In each step add a new node with m links to the network, and also remove a node with probability r. This leads to different networks depending on m and r.[3] When the objective is to break down a network, it makes much more sense to target certain nodes instead of removing them in a uniformly random fashion.
The diameter of the BA model increases drastically when the most connected nodes are deleted compared to the random removal case.