New Law Allows Russia to Disconnect its Internet from the World

Vladimir Putin meets with Head of Roskomnadzor Alexander Zharov (Kremlin)

Russia’s long-term “sovereign internet” law, designed to shield the operations of the Russian internet from the rest of the world, went into effect on November 1. The law will allow Roskomnadzor, the telecom agency of the Russian federal government, to control and regulate internet traffic so that, in the event of cyber warfare, it can run independently of the World Wide Web.

The law requires all internet providers in Russia to install Roskomnadzor’s hardware, which utilizes Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology. DPI, a type of data processing which is also used by the Chinese government, operates by scrutinizing the contents of the data being sent or received through the Russian internet. If the data is classified as a threat by DPI, it would be blocked. Therefore, DPI gives Roskomnadzor the ability to block any data leaving or entering Russia, effectively detaching the internet from the rest of the globe.

The Russian government owned publication, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, writes that the law “will ensure the availability of communication services in Russia in case of threats.” However, many fundamental characteristics of the law are left ambiguous, raising points of concern for critics who maintain that the Russian government is not being entirely honest with the intent of the law. Many critics contend that the law allows the Russian government to increase surveillance of the internet and censor certain content.

The controversial issue was first raised this March when Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law measures that would protect the Russian internet from foreign threats by increasing censorship. As a result, thousands took to the streets in Moscow, protesting against the proposed internet restrictions. 

The protesters are joined in their contempt for the suppression of free speech by multiple human rights advocates, such as Rachel Denber from Human Rights Watch. Denber fears that the new law has given the Russian government the power to “directly censor content or even turn Russia's internet into a closed system without telling the public what they are doing or why." She added that the law “jeopardizes the right of people in Russia to free speech and freedom of information online.” 

Critics see the decades-long struggle of human rights in Russia, coupled with the idea of a purely Russian internet under the “sovereign internet” law, as proof of Russia’s reversal to Soviet practices. Ironically, many are calling this measure the “Online Iron Curtain”.