US Edition
Russia goes after VPNs as 'great crackdown' gathers pace
Russian authorities plan fines and fees for VPN use and international data, aiming to enforce control amid rising censorship; over 400 VPNs were blocked by mid-January, Kommersant reported.
- On Monday, Digital Minister Maksut Shadayev confirmed plans to restrict VPNs and foreign platforms, aiming to reduce usage among millions of Russians while minimizing impact on users.
- Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia implemented repressive censorship laws and bolstered Federal Security Service influence, escalating measures including blocking WhatsApp and jamming mobile internet in Moscow.
- Shadayev met with telecom and tech companies including Yandex and VK on Saturday to discuss potential fees for VPN users, though consultant Alexey Lukatsky cautioned that identification technology lacks "100% accuracy."
- Authorities may impose "administrative liability for the use of tools to bypass blocking," yet the situation remains a "game of cat and mouse" as users rapidly switch to new VPNs.
- New restrictions on foreign platforms and VPNs may begin May 1, affecting services like Facebook and Instagram and effectively creating a "sovereign" Russian internet separate from the global network.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Russia's Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev announced on Monday that the government will crack down on the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), a tool that Russians have increasingly used in recent years to circumvent online surveillance and censorship, The Moscow Times reported.
Digital Ministry Declares War on VPNs
Russia’s Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev said Monday that the government will begin cracking down on the use of virtual private networks, or VPNs, a common tool that Russians have increasingly turned to in recent years to get around internet surveillance and censorship. “We have an obligation to fulfill the tasks that have been set before us.
Russia is taking a new step in strengthening its internet control. Moscow is now attacking VPNs, widely used to circumvent censorship. ...
Russia intensifies efforts to dismantle VPN as digital repression accelerates
The Russian Ministry of Digital Development has signalled a new phase in the state's efforts to regulate the virtual world, with Minister Maksut Shadayev recently declaring that "The task is reduce VPN usage" to ensure national digital sovereignty.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
