TALLINN, Aug 5 (AP) – The digital experience in Russia has grown increasingly cumbersome and fraught with perils. YouTube videos stall indefinitely, independent media websites yield only blank pages, and cellphone internet can vanish for hours or even days. It’s not a technical error; it’s a calculated maneuver by authorities to clamp down on the internet and enshroud it under Kremlin oversight. By establishing restrictive laws and blacklisting defiant platforms, authorities have engineered techniques for monitoring and controlling digital traffic.
Although circumvention via virtual private networks (VPNs) is still feasible, authorities consistently work to block these tools too. This summer, internet access frayed further with widespread interruptions in cellphone internet services and the introduction of laws punishing users for accessing content deemed illicit. Russian officials aren't stopping there — they’re considering action against the ubiquitous messaging platform WhatsApp, while introducing a state-controlled messenger service expected to be heavily monitored.
President Vladimir Putin has directed the government to suppress foreign digital services, pinpointing platforms from “unfriendly” nations for restriction. According to experts and human rights advocates interviewed by The Associated Press, the scale and effectiveness of this crackdown is a troubling progression. The Kremlin’s current endeavors to throttle online activity are more adept than past attempts, moving Russia closer to a largely isolated internet.
Anastasiia Kruope of Human Rights Watch describes this strategy as “death by a thousand cuts," highlighting a bid to control all digital activity bit by bit. The roots of these efforts trace back to 2011-2012, spurred by the internet-fueled protests challenging the Kremlin. Following disputed parliamentary elections and President Putin’s decision for reelection, online platforms were used to coordinate anti-government demonstrations, sparking the first steps toward greater control.
Russia’s original moves involved blocking websites, mandating data retention and sharing with security services, and installing equipment to regulate online traffic. The country’s own social media platform, VK, ended up under Kremlin-favorable oversight after other foreign platforms refused local data storage demands. Despite initial setbacks, including a failed attempt to block Telegram, the post-Ukraine invasion era saw a comprehensive crackdown, removing major social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as some messaging apps and VPNs.
YouTube access in Russia faced deliberate slowdowns last summer, with authorities attributing the disruption to Google’s inadequate maintenance of Russian hardware. Cloudflare, a major facilitator of internet traffic, confirmed in June that throttling affected its services in Russia, echoing similar disruptions impacting Western-hosted independent news sites.
Cyber-law expert Sarkis Darbinyan from the Russian internet freedom entity Roskomsvoboda claims authorities are pressuring Russian businesses to switch to domestic hosting providers susceptible to official control. In Russia, where foreign hosts service much of the web due to superior quality and price, cutting access to these hosts means substantial content lockdown.
Recent trends indicate consolidation among Russia’s internet providers, with high licensing costs limiting competition and leaving most IP addresses managed by a handful of large firms, including the state telecom giant Rostelecom.
A new Russian statute penalizes online searches for “extremist” materials, a loosely defined term covering various content opposed to Kremlin norms — from LGBTQ+ subjects to certain music and the works of resistance figures like Alexei Navalny. Rights advocates fear this mirrors methods in Belarus, where individuals face punitive measures for consuming independent media.
The potential withdrawal of WhatsApp from the Russian market looms, with lawmaker Anton Gorelkin hinting at WhatsApp’s departure to make room for a “national” messenger app named MAX, developed by VK. Despite its preinstallation on all smartphones sold in Russia and advocacy among state entities for its use, the app has yet to gather significant traction, with only around 2 million registrations reported by July.
MAX pledges user data sharing with authorities upon request, intensifying concerns about surveillance. Additionally, both Telegram and WhatsApp experienced disruption in Russia in July, suspected to be tests for broader potential blockages. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media and internet regulator, deploys advanced data analysis to selectively control online access, aided by years of tactics honing and market exits by Western companies post-2022 sanctions.
Although complete isolation from the global internet remains elusive, these efforts significantly narrow Russia’s digital openness, Darbinyan notes, warning that the trajectory leans towards a more cordoned-off future. (AP) GSP
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