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https://freedium.cfd/https://medium.com/the-geopolitical-economist/the-great-russian-digital-firewall-how-russia-is-isolating-its-internet-3e24862f9d86>
“The Russian state has systematically developed and refined a comprehensive
architecture of information‑control that spans legal, technical and
administrative dimensions.
At its core lies the attempt to reshape the internet within Russia — commonly
referred to as the "RuNet" — into a space that is heavily regulated, with
diminished access to independent and foreign information flows, increased
monitoring of user communications, and strong incentives for citizens to
migrate to domestically‑controlled platforms.
While the roots of this phenomenon stretch back over a decade, the pace,
breadth and technical sophistication of Russia's approach have accelerated
markedly since the onset of the full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in February
2022, sanctions and withdrawal of many Western companies, and mounting
geopolitical isolation.
Russia's regulatory architecture for the internet rests on multiple
interlocking legal instruments, state agencies and technical requirements.
According to the Wikipedia entry on internet censorship in Russia, one of the
core mechanisms is a
centralised "single register" of blocked domain names,
URLs and IP addresses maintained by the Federal Service for Supervision of
Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor).
Initially introduced in 2008, this register targeted websites with content such
as drug‑abuse instructions, suicide methods or child pornography, but was later
expanded to include so‑called "extremist" material — a category used broadly by
the authorities to include criticism of government policy or wartime conduct.
Further, Russia's legal framework includes laws that require internet service
providers (ISPs), hosting providers, and platforms to register, share data,
implement content‑removal procedures, and comply with block‑lists and takedown
requests. For example, amendments to the
Law on Information introduced in
February 2021 oblige social media platforms to proactively monitor and remove
content that offends "society, the state, state symbols or public officials,"
or is disseminated by organizations deemed "undesirable."
The 2019 "sovereign internet" law is another cornerstone. Under this law, the
state aims to ensure that the Russian segment of the internet can operate in
isolation from the global internet, if required.
In practice, this law enables the authorities to consolidate control over
internet architecture so as to block or reroute traffic, intercept or decrypt
data, and regulate routing and domains under state supervision. According to
the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, the equipment mandatorily installed in
networks of nearly all Russian ISPs has become a powerful tool of state
censorship and surveillance.”
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
