Internet

Dagestani ministry offers iPhone SE for reporting online “extremist content”

October 12, 2018

The Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of Dagestan, an autonomous republic in Southern Russia, has created an anonymous hotline for citizens to report “extremist content” found online. The campaign targets the “propaganda or public justification of terrorism; hate speech related to ethnic origin or religious orientation; and other types of prohibited content.” A video …

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“Groundless persecution” of social media users raises growing protests in Russia

August 15, 2018

The authorities’ propensity to crackdown on social media users for their activity with supposedly unlawful content has become excessive even in the taste of such an established and little opposition-minded Internet business as Mail.Ru Group. The group dominates the Russian social media scene with its properties VK (Vkontakte) and OK (Odnoklassniki). Listed on the LSE, …

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‘Big Brother law’ comes into force: Internet companies required to store massive amounts of content

July 3, 2018

New provisions of a controversial law on Internet communications came into force on July 1, with a government order requiring Internet companies to store the content and the metadata of all their users’ communications for a significant period of time Adopted in 2016, this new legislation (dubbed ‘Yarovaya law’ or ‘Big Brother law’) has entailed huge costs for …

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Internet regulator Roskomnadzor challenged in courts for blocking websites in controversial procedures

May 31, 2018

The Russian news site Znak.com has won a lawsuit against Roskomnadzor, the Internet and telecom regulator which illustrated itself recently by its failed attempts to block access to Telegram. As reported by Meduza.io, Roskomnadzor accused Znak.com of publishing a video that contained obscene language. Znak.com produced phonoscopic evidence establishing the absence of any foul words in the video, convincing a …

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Russian economy could lose $1 billion this year because of the Telegram ban

April 27, 2018

The collateral damage to the Russian economy caused by the Russian authorities’ efforts to block Telegram will reach $1 billion within a few months, according to software company Flexbby, cited by business daily Kommersant and online publication Meduza. The damage is essentially due to the fact that, by blocking of millions of IP addresses, the crackdown on Telegram has affected …

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Sexy ‘graft’ video may lead Russia to block Instagram, YouTube

February 13, 2018

Russia may block access to YouTube and Instagram after billionaire Oleg Deripaska won a court injunction against videos and photographs that showed him and Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Prikhodko relaxing on a yacht with a woman described as an escort. As reported by Bloomberg, the Russian court has ordered the removal of 14 Instagram posts and seven YouTube videos that …

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What is Russia’s new VPN ban all about?

November 2, 2017

This past summer the Russian authorities banned technologies that make it possible to circumvent Internet censorship. The lawmakers, who supported the bill unanimously, argued that Russia’s existing system to block illegal content on the Web was “not effective enough.” Ksenia Idrisova of BBC Monitoring explains what exactly has been banned, how the new legislation works, and what …

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Wikileaks releases documents it claims detail Russia mass surveillance apparatus

September 27, 2017

Wikileaks has released a new cache of documents which it claims detail surveillance apparatus used by the Russian state to spy on Internet and mobile users. It’s the first time the organization has leaked (what it claims is) material directly pertaining to the Russian state. As ever, nothing is straightforward when it comes to Wikileaks. …

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Russia plans to introduce new restrictions on foreign ownership of Internet and telecom operators

August 24, 2017

The Russian Communications Ministry has inspired draft amendments to the telecom legislation, aiming to limit foreign ownership over Internet exchange points to 20%. According to these amendments, domestic ISPs would not be allowed to connect to exchange points that belong to other states, foreign companies or organizations, as well as foreign citizens or Russian nationals with dual citizenship. …

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Russia tightens screws on Internet censorship, instant messenging and SIM card-based subscriptions

August 5, 2017

On July 21, the members of the Russian State Duma approved in the third reading three bills to regulate Internet and telecom services in Russia. After the almost unanimous vote of Russia’s senators today, the laws are now pending approval by President Putin. [Update: The President signed the laws on July 30.] No more access to …

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Anton Nossik, one of the founders of the Russian Internet, dies of heart attack

July 10, 2017

Early on July 9 Anton Nossik, 51, passed away. He was with friends at a dacha when he suffered a sudden heart attack. One of the founders of the Russian Internet, Nossik founded several large news sites, including Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru. “It was Nossik who came up with [a vision for] Russian online media, and …

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