SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The Russian parliament has approved a law creating a separate, domestic network, separate from the Internet. This Russian network of networks will be fully isolatable and will mean that the country's communications will become autonomous and able to continue functioning even when the plug is pulled on Russia's connections to the Internet at large. Concerns increase that this move will be used more for control of content and even just plain censorship, and make any attempts at circumventing restrictions much more difficult. The law is expected to take effect November 1st. Russia has already banned certain programs, such as Telegram.
One of the law's goals is to keep as much of the data exchanged between Russian internet users within the country's borders as possible. This aim may sound like a move to protect Russian users from external threats, but rights groups have warned that the new measures could ultimately be directed at Kremlin critics rather than international adversaries.
The idea of increasing the government's control over the internet is part of a more long-term national policy trend. In 2017, officials said they wanted 95% of internet traffic to be routed locally by 2020. Since 2016, a law has required social networks to store data about Russian users on servers within the country. The law was officially presented as an anti-terrorism measure — but many criticized it as an attempt to control online platforms that can be used to organize anti-government demonstrations.
Also at Silicon: Russian Parliament Passes Bill To Isolate Internet.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by The Shire on Wednesday April 17 2019, @03:45PM (4 children)
Does no one remember this?
Strange snafu misroutes domestic US Internet traffic through China Telecom [arstechnica.com]
All the communist/socialist nations censor their internet already, I think this is more about protecting critical infrastructure from cyber attack.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 17 2019, @03:52PM (2 children)
>I think this is more about protecting critical infrastructure from cyber attack.
Of course, but a lot of people here are from Slashdot, and retain the paranoid worldview that developed as the smarter people left the site.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 17 2019, @05:06PM (1 child)
The dictator who has had media outlets shut down and journalists killed couldn't possibly be trying to crack down on free speech. Sure thing, smartypants.
I will concede that cyber protection could be a secondary goal.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 18 2019, @08:02AM
Сyber protection? Putin doesn't even use Internet himself…
(Score: 5, Insightful) by legont on Wednesday April 17 2019, @05:04PM
This law is the reaction to Russian attempt to block "illegal" content on telegram. It was an epic failure as some bank's ATM networks, for example, went down. At some point the organization responsible for blocking - whatever its name - locked itself out of the internet. This happened because Russia is tightly integrated with world's internet services such as AWS. If Amazon does not block telegram, Russia can't.
Obviously authorities realized that a simple US sanction decision can and will bring her internet down. Their domestic paying system, for example, designed to replace Visa and Mastercard in case of a conflict will not work either. Hence they introduced a law that requires infrastructure providers to make sure they are really independent from the west.
Yes, it can be abused and probably will, and it is a sad day for all of us.
P.S. I wonder how New Zealand is doing as the same telegram has illegal content under their law. Last time I've heard it is blocking, but no results. Anybody has the latest?
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.