Methods of digital control in Russia are expanding. Authorities have taken another step towards creating a 'sovereign internet.'
Russian authorities have removed previously banned and blocked websites from the National Domain Name System (NDNS), including the popular messaging app WhatsApp, as well as the platforms YouTube, Instagram, and websites of several media outlets included in the 'foreign agents' list, such as 'Radio Liberty', BBC, and Deutsche Welle. This was particularly noted by the project 'On the Line', which checked 50 resources and found that data for 13 of them had been removed from the NDNS.
The National Domain Name System is a Russian structure within the 'sovereign internet' that duplicates the existing domain name scheme responsible for traffic routing. The federal law 'on the sovereign internet' came into effect in November 2019. It provides for the creation of a national internet traffic routing system and centralized management tools. Removal from the NDNS means that users will not be able to find the desired website by IP address.
This is yet another step by the Russian authorities towards a complete blockade of popular internet resources and the establishment of digital control over the dissemination of information amid further tightening of laws. According to the official version, foreign platforms do not comply with Russian laws and allow terrorists to recruit.
Calls via WhatsApp were blocked last year, and access to many internet resources in Russia has been unavailable since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Euronews website in Russia has also been blocked.
WhatsApp issued a statement regarding attempts to isolate Russians.
"Today, Russian authorities attempted to completely block WhatsApp in an effort to force people to switch to a state-run, unprotected from surveillance application. Attempts to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a step backward that can only lead to decreased safety for people in Russia. We continue to do everything possible to keep users connected."
On Tuesday, the Russian internet oversight agency announced that it is limiting the operation of the messaging platform Telegram.
Russian authorities have repeatedly threatened foreign tech platforms with forced slowdowns or complete bans if they do not comply with Russian regulations.
They demand that companies store data of Russian users within the country and take measures to prevent their services from being used for what Moscow calls 'criminal and terrorist' purposes.
Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stated that if the Meta corporation engages in dialogue with Russian authorities, there would be an opportunity to reach an agreement. "If the corporation takes the same uncompromising position and, I would say, shows complete unwillingness to orient itself to Russian legislation, then there is no chance," Peskov said.
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