Friday, September 03, 2021
Critics complain about censorship
Russia blocks VPN providers
Many websites of opposition and critical media are blocked in Russia. They can only be accessed via an anonymous VPN connection. Access is then via foreign IP addresses. Right before the parliamentary elections, Russia is now blocking the largest VPN providers.
Russia continues to restrict Internet use and has blocked six protected network connection (VPN) providers. Blocked websites can be accessed with such VPN connections. The media supervisory authority Roskomnadzor wants to prevent this, according to a statement. Virtual private networks promoted “illegal activities” such as drug trafficking, extremism and child pornography, the Russian authority claimed.
Thousands of Internet sites have been blocked in Russia, many of them from opposition members, but also from independent and critical media. The authorities justify the bans with violations of Russian laws. Critics, on the other hand, complain about censorship. Freedom of expression in the largest country in the world in terms of area is being increasingly restricted.
According to IT experts, among the blocked VPN providers, all of which are based abroad, the most popular in Russia are ExpressVPN and NordVPN. However, there are many other companies that offer such services.
Russia had already banned the use of VPN networks to bypass blocked websites in 2017. A good three months ago, the use of two providers was restricted. After that, according to research by the daily “Kommersant”, the prices for VPN tunnel connections rose significantly. Experts attributed this to higher demand. In Russia, a new parliament will be elected in just over two weeks. The authorities recently increased their actions against members of the opposition and those who think differently.
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