Russia restricted foreign internet access across several regions over the weekend to test its national infrastructure.
Residents of the affected regions couldn’t access both foreign and local apps, including the likes of YouTube (one of the last Western social media platforms still available in Russia), Google, WhatsApp, and Telegram – The Record reported.
As per local reports, not even virtual private network (VPN) apps managed to help citizens bypass internet restrictions in what looks like a new phase of online censorship for the country.
“This event is crucial in the possible evolution of online censorship in Russia because it shows what’s technically possible – a very limited internet experience where most common things simply don’t work,” a technical expert from the Russian digital rights group Roskomsvoboda told TechRadar.
According to reports, Runet trials mostly affected residents living in areas populated by ethnic minorities, such as Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia.
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A new phase of Russian censorship
Russian censorship is clearly getting tougher, and visitors and residents are left with fewer means to overcome restrictions.
While the best VPN apps have become a crucial resource for people in Russia struggling to access international news and other blocked websites, 2024 has seen the Kremlin double down against Russia’s VPN usage.
For starters, a new law enforced in March now criminalizes the spread of information about ways to circumvent internet restrictions – VPNs included.
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Unfortunately, that hasn’t helped North Korea. I sometimes wonder about this myself, but I think It’s unlikely people would attempt to overthrow a brutal government. It requires extremely desperate angry people with absolutely nothing to lose.
North Koreas never had access to the internet and its perks. There’s no loss for them to experience here because they never had it in the first place. Russians are all over the internet, especially in video games, which is the only outlet for a lot of them.