Russia Quietly Increasing Internet Censorship

If combined, these policies will increase surveillance of Russian technology use and further strengthen the state’s control over communications. These new policies are a continuation of ten years of Moscow’s tightening grip on the Internet. Stanislav Shakirov is the cofounder and founder of the Russian digital rights organization Roskomsvoboda. He also founded the Privacy Accelerator tech development organization. Shakirov claims that Russia has been legislating to regulate the Internet and control it since 2012. Shakirov identifies five principles.

Russia wants to control its Internet infrastructure.

This includes owning the Internet cables that run through Russia’s territory and connecting it with the rest of the globe. The country also puts pressure on websites and Internet companies, such as Yandex or Facebook alternative VKontakte, to censor content. Shakirov claims that the country’s media crackdown includes banning independent media organizations and adopting a law governing foreign agents. The next step is to force people to self-censor online statements and limit protest.

Finally, Shakirov says, there is the “restriction of access to information”–blocking websites. Russia adopted Russia’s sovereign Internet law 2016 in order to be able to block websites. Since then, Russia has been increasing its technical capabilities to block websites. Shakirov states that “now the possibilities of restricting access are evolving by leaps and bounds.”

The sovereign Internet law builds upon the RuNet idea of a Russian Internet that can be isolated from the rest. According to an analysis done by Top10 VPN, more than 2,384 websites have been blocked in Russia since the beginning of the war against Ukraine in February. These sites include independent Russian news websites, Ukrainian domains, and big tech and foreign news sites.

Grant Baker, a Freedom House technology and democracy researcher associate, said that the Russian government is constantly trying to exert more control over what content people can access. (Roskomnadzor is the country’s media regulator and communications regulator. They did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment. Baker claims that all the Internet surveillance and control systems are accompanied by wider social clampdowns. This includes the arrest of more than 16,000 peaceful protestors, and the increased usage of face recognition.

It’s not easy to build a surveillance network. China is often considered to be the most restrictive online country in the world. Its Great Firewall blocks websites that are not within its political vision. This Chinese “sovereign model” of the Internet was developed over many years. Even the creator of China’s firewall was able to bypass it with a VPN.

Russia tried to copy the Chinese model in some way, but it failed.  officials attempted to block Telegram’s messaging app in 201, but failed badly, and gave-up two years later. Multiple delays have been experienced in building Russia’s vision for the RuNet. Many of Russia’s recent policy announcements were not made for the immediate future. Controlling the Internet is a long-term endeavor. Some measures might never be implemented.

Julien Nocetti is a senior associate fellow at France’s Institute of International Relations and he studies Russia’s Internet. “It is still difficult for us to assess in detail how these measures have affected our lives,” he says.

Numerous Russian-language app stores have been created in recent months but there are few available apps.

Independent newspaper The Moscow Times reports that RuStore is one of the top app stores, with less than 1,000 apps.

Other Internet-related sovereign efforts have also failed. RuTube is Russia’s equivalent of YouTube. However, officials have failed to promote its use. The Rossgram website, which could be an alternative to Instagram, has yet to launch. It displays a message warning people that it is still in development and cautions them against downloading any versions they find online.

Although many Russian sovereign Internet measures have failed to take root, Russia’s ability to block websites has improved significantly since March 2021 when it tried to throttle Twitter. Other countries are also watching. Shakirov states that countries are learning from each other different Internet regulation practices. “Russia made a Chinese version of its Internet and now other countries in the post-Soviet space like Africa or Latin America can follow their lead.”

Lokot believes that the Internet is at risk as more countries regulate it and do so with national security in mind. Lokot states that when the conversation shifts from “the Internet as an important public good” to “Internet access and Internet security as a matter national security,” the questions will change. “We could see some really troubling choices being made by states–not just authoritarian but also democratic.”