The internet is no longer free in Russia—that’s according to Freedom Net, a report recently published by Freedom House. Freedom of expression on the internet has been under threat for some time in the Russian Federation, but the risks have increased since 2014. In the 18 months since Maidan, the annexation of Crimea and outbreak of conflict in eastern Ukraine, new laws preventing the dissemination of ‘extremism’ online and extending the authorities’ surveillance powers have made the RuNet a far riskier environment.
On terms of anonymity, I spoke with the director of a Russian internet provider—who has worked in the Russian IT market for more than a decade—and found out how the FSB and prosecutor’s office monitor the internet, why they reprimanded an FSB officer who bugged an opposition politician and why cutting Russia off from the global internet isn’t so easy. Read his account below.
Black lists
‘Since 2012, Russia has operated a register of banned websites. This isn’t the federal list of extremist materials, where there’s a heap of leaflets and video clips, which the court has tried to distort in its categorization. No, the register is a selection of 100,000 IP addresses. The FSB doesn’t monitor how bans are put in place: they’re more interested in making sure Roskomnadzor’s [the federal body responsible for media oversight] recommendations come through on time.
