According to ExpressVPN, the only way to censor on this large scale is the complete disconnection from the global network.
The law which is set out to ban anonymizers, in Russia, has not yet been given access to sites which it has forbidden. As before, users are still able to access these sites using various anonymizers and VPN’s.
Analysts who have publically argued against censorship on the internet have said that hypothetically it will be impossible to feel the full force of the new law before December. This is due to the process of its execution.
During the process, a request from the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Federal Security Service will be sent to Roskomnadzor which in turn will need to contact the owner of the anonymizer or VPN-service. The owner will then need to make contact with the Roskomnadzor (FGIS) within 36 working days and begin blocking sites banned in Russia. Some of the more well-known VPN-services have already reacted to this latest round of internet censorship in Russian.
Representatives from ExpressVPN have asked how exactly Russia intends to implement this new regulation in practice. stating that from its experiences in other countries, censors do not have sufficient money to completely eliminate VPN traffic. According to ExpressVPN, the only way to censor on this large scale is the complete disconnection from the global network. But, with that being said, the company also acknowledged that a crackdown of this nature only drives up the demand for VPN products. It also said that it will never agree with any standards that would endanger the capability of its product to defend the digital rights of its users.
ZenMate service, on the other hand, has expressed its readiness for blocking. The company has said that should there be an attempt to block them, the service will robotically switch to “stable mode” without causing severe inconveniences to users. Tunnelbear have said that because the service belongs to a Canadian company it only has to operate according to its local laws and these do not limit them in any way.
PrivateVPN has also said that because it is not based in Russia, it simply does not have to comply with Russian laws. And, GFPS Yokubaitis said that because it supports a free and open internet the company does not communicate with Roskomnadzor.
VPN-service TorGuard stated that it does not intend on cooperating with Roskomnadzor. The company has publically declared that it will refuse to block sites. And, TgVPN said it will bypass the blocking of Telegram. The company also confirmed its reluctance to comply with this law, calling Roskomnadzor absurd.
Additionally, Roskomnadzor has also threatened action against internet search engines which return links to VPN-services. One analyst believes that Russian internet regulation is aligned with eastern internet regulations.
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