Russia To Ban VPN Providers That Refuse To Aid Censorship

from the ill-communication dept

Back in 2016 Russia introduced a new surveillance bill promising to deliver greater security to the country. Of course, as with so many similar efforts around the world the bill actually did the exact opposite -- not only mandating new encryption backdoors, but also imposing harsh new data-retention requirements on ISPs and VPN providers. As a result, some VPN providers like Private Internet Access wound up leaving the country after finding their entire function eroded and having some of their servers seized.

Last March Russia upped the ante, demanding that VPN providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, IPVanish, and HideMyAss help block forbidden websites that have been added to Russia's censorship watchlist. Not surprisingly those companies balked at the request, and now Russia's moving on to what was the goal from the start: banning these companies from doing business entirely.

"The VPN services in question were given a limited time to respond (30 days) but according to Roscomnadzor, most are digging in their heels. In fact, of the companies contacted with the demands, only one has agreed to the watchdog’s terms.

“We sent out ten notifications to VPNs. Only one of them – Kaspersky Secure Connection – connected to the registry,” Roscomnadzor chief Alexander Zharov informs Interfax.

“All the others did not answer, moreover, they wrote on their websites that they would not comply with Russian law. And the law says unequivocally if the company refuses to comply with the law – it should be blocked."

Again, this is framed to suggest that this is all a very sensible process featuring measured application of the law for the betterment of society as a whole. But Russia's goal from the beginning has been to effectively ban VPN use... without making too obvious that that was the overall goal. After all, it's difficult to engage in surveillance of Putin critics and pesky punk rockers if they're hiding their traffic behind a VPN. Alexander Zharov, head of Russian media and telecom regulator Roscomnadzor, does yeoman's work pretending to be upset about the course of events:

"These ten VPNs do not exhaust the entire list of proxy programs available to our citizens. I don’t think there will be a tragedy if they are blocked, although I feel very sorry about it,” Zharov concludes."

But over the course of the last five years or so, Russia has made it increasingly difficult to do business as a VPN provider. Now, unless you're willing to engage in outright censorship, retain all logs, and be at the beck and call of the Russian government, you're effectively banned from doing business in the country at all.

Unfortunately for Russia and every other government with similarly oppressive internet pipe dreams (including the US), these efforts usually wind up devolving into an absurd, unwinnable game of cat and mouse that only really advertises how terrified some leaders are of open expression and an unfiltered internet.

Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: block list, censorship, encryption, roscomnadzor, russia, site blocking, surveillance, vpns


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 6:48am

    "introduced a new surveillance bill promising to deliver greater security to the country."

    Security is an interesting word that is used a lot but means different things to different people. When they say they are delivering security to the country I doubt it is a good thing for the populace.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 6:53am

    Those who maliciously use VPNs (a few of whom post comments here regularly) are outraged.

    The rest don't care.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    TFG, 14 Jun 2019 @ 7:10am

    Re:

    See, when they say "country" what they mean is "Putin and his cronies" because in the view of that regime, the country is not the people, the country is Putin and his cronies.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 7:10am

    Re:

    When they say security it is usually about security from accountability.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 7:13am

    in soviet russia, your network privacy is only virtual

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 7:32am

    In Soviet Russia, web browser keep tabs on YOU!! (n/t)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 7:49am

    Yes russia will be secure when even web user is being watched and secured and the data is recorded in the government database.
    how long till the data is hacked ,
    By secure they mean surveillance of all users .
    Its like in the novel 1984, any word can mean anything and its meaning
    changes over time according to the policys of the government
    security services .
    its like the old phrase ,first they came for your VPNS and you said nothing because you dont use a vpn,
    then they came for your social media id and passwords and so on and on.
    Users might get round this by using browsers with built in vpns
    and proxy settings .
    This law does not help foreign investment in russia,
    international business and banks uses vpns as a form of security
    and to protect users privacy ,
    they might not want to invest in a country where the government
    has acess to all user data including business financial data .

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 7:52am

    did the exact opposite

    "Of course, as with so many similar efforts around the world the bill actually did the exact opposite..."

    yup, well intentioned efforts to give a government more control over the internet eventually backfire on the citizens.
    Proponents fail to see the long term dangers of government control and regulation.
    Case in point, Net Neutrality.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    TFG, 14 Jun 2019 @ 8:11am

    Re: did the exact opposite

    Please explain, in detail, with examples and data to support your assertions, how Net Neutrality regulations backfired on the populace.

    Hint: "They got repealed" does not support your position.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 8:19am

    Re: did the exact opposite

    Net Neutraility has "long term dangers of government control and regulation"?

    Please explain.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 8:28am

    Given who abuses VPNs, and how often they frequent this site, I'm not surprised to see it come out against blocking VPNs.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 8:29am

    We have Section 230, when other countries do not.

    Sovereignty sucks when they disagree with you, I'm sure.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 9:46am

    anything to take away the right of the people to access what info they want on what is supposed to be a free 'encyclopedia'! all governments everywhere, regardless of whether they are of a 'free world, democratic country' or of a totalitarian, communist or other country are doing whatever it takes to ensure that those in control of all these countries remain so and that the people are stopped from finding out what the fuckers are up to and from spreading that info world wide! this includes, in particular, the '5 eyes countries' of USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada! they are definitely not alone, with every other country following their lead, having the opinion that if it's ok for these countries to do it, it's ok for us to do it! all rights to privacy and freedom are being destroyed, not just eroded. the rights of the people that have taken centuries to establish are being systematically removed and the really worrying thing is it started in the very country that is supposed to have these rights built into it's very existence! it is supposed to be 'the home of the brave, land of the free'. please tell me what the hell has happened? before it's too late, things need to be reversed, changed, quickly and drastically or it will be too late to stop the planet being nothing but one giant entity ruled as a dictatorship by those who are so scared of being brought to the fore over what they have done to fuck it up, all in the names of power and wealth!!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 11:24am

    Re:

    When you do business over the internet, say banking transactions, do you expect the contents to be protected against criminal activity?

    Why would you not want to protect your assets from being stolen?

    I would like to know what these anti vpn geniuses use to conduct financial transactions these days. Do they walk into the bank and fill out the little slips provided right next to the donuts that little snot nosed kids have handled?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Rekrul, 14 Jun 2019 @ 12:10pm

    Frankly, it always amazes me that people think VPNs are some untouchable entity that will never be censored.

    The copyright industry has spent years working toward getting blocking regimes instituted in as many countries as possible. Oppressive governments have long censored the net. Yet, people seem to think that this same industry and these same governments will blissfully ignore that people can use a VPN to bypass censorship.

    Today it's Russia demanding the VPNs start blocking the same sites that ISPs are required to, but how long will it be before the copyright industry starts screaming that the countries which already have blocklists, need to get VPNs on board, or they'll be blocked too?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. icon
    ECA (profile), 14 Jun 2019 @ 12:18pm

    Time to...

    I hope everyone knows that your computer sends interesting DATA...
    And that..THAT info can be augmented..
    Make your computer LIE, about the info sent.
    Anyone want a job??

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jun 2019 @ 2:32pm

    If Russia bans VPNs then how are they going to give donald more loans?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 14 Jun 2019 @ 3:58pm

    That's not beating a dead horse, you're on to beating glue

    Ah yes, because that tired old lie never gets old.

    ISP's are not the internet. The provide access to the internet, and if the government were telling them what people weren't allowed to connect to then you might have a point, but they aren't so you don't.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. icon
    Toom1275 (profile), 14 Jun 2019 @ 9:57pm

    Re:

    Your comment does not logically follow.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jun 2019 @ 7:38pm

    Re:

    Have an Article 13 vote, Herrick.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2019 @ 7:34am

    Re:

    You really need to see someone about your TDS.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Apr 2020 @ 7:05am

    This is bullshit. They can even try to burn an ocean! Follow this link https://fivebestvpn.com/best-vpn-for-windows/ if you are looking for a decent VPN service that would work even in Russia!

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.