This year, Russia doubled down on internet censorship largely due to its invasion of Ukraine. In February, authorities in Moscow warned tech giants including Google, Meta, Apple, Twitter, and TikTok that they have to comply with a new law requiring them to set up legal entities in the country, which could result in making the companies and their staff more vulnerable to Russia’s legal system.
Companies that refuse to comply with Russia’s ‘landing’ measures face penalties including fines as well as possible shutdowns, which could disrupt sales, search engine operations, data collection and payments in the country. Since then, the Kremlin has banned 200 websites, while 300 multinational companies have pulled out of Russia as the government moves towards disconnecting the country from the global internet. According to reports, the move is part of the government’s attempts to censor unfavorable material online, while keeping the pro-Russia media unfiltered.
In an attempt to sidestep the censorship in the country, many users are turning to privacy tools that will enable them to keep their channels open to information from outside of Russia. In fact, roughly 30 percent of internet users in Russia utilize proxies to bypass online censorship, where private residential proxies are considered to be the most secure option.
This increasing preference for residential proxy services stemmed from the growing awareness among internet users on the importance of their online privacy, particularly in Russia, which is now using the prospect of fines, arrests as well as the blocking of internet services to censor unfavorable news and information about the government. Now, data private residential proxies are in constant demand because, as explained by an ENV Media report on internet privacy, “an individual’s network activity raises fewer concerns and is less often subjected to countermeasures by targeted domains and resources. Web servers ‘trust’ them and are less likely to block or ban the IPs in question.”
Russia is ramping up the pressure on tech companies as it intensifies its invasion of Ukraine, but censoring the internet isn’t easy. Unlike China which has the Great Firewall, Russia has a more open access to the internet although the government has since developed technical methods for blocking content.
This recent clampdown, according to human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov, “is an attempt by the Russian government to increase control over these companies and the content online in Russia.”
It’s worth noting that Moscow has tried many times in the past to clamp down on the internet via traditional offline mechanisms of coercion, including intimidation, harassment, and vague speech laws; however, Russian laws have been largely ineffective and it’s only a matter of time before this latest attempt to lower the iron curtain in the country will be halted. Until then, it is up to the online users to find ways to protect their online privacy as they stay connected with the world.
The views expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect that of The News Minute.