VPN and anonymizers are very popular among internet users who want to get access to blocked information or web-site. The desire to break taboos always is strong. The rumors are going around that Russian Roskomnadzor has developed a new draft law special for anonymizers and VPN.
The idea to make it allegedly belongs to Security Council of Russian Federation. According to draft law VPN and anonymizers will be obliged to block access to web-sites along with ISP. If under Russian law ISP must block access to certain web-site or its single page, the VPN or anonymizer must do the same. Otherwise it can be forbidden in Russia, i.e. blocked by Roskomnadzor.
It seems Russian Roskomnadzor hates VPN services and anonymizers. They mitigate all Roskomnadzor’s efforts to kick all “bad guys” out of Internet. If to follow Roskomnadzor’s logic, entire Internet can be blocked in Russia except “good” and “verified” web-sites. The draft law forbids using of VPN services and anonymizers in Russia if it is not in accordance with law – the old dream of Roskomnadzor.
The idea of such hard measures in relation to “bad web-sites” belongs to Roskomnadzor, but from technical side it has been drafted by lawyers of Russian Media-Communication Union (MKS) according to sources of vedomosti. MKS developed this law intending to fight with piracy in internet. MKS wants to use this law as a tool to prevent access to pirate web-sites. With VPN service internet users have access to web-site even if it is blocked in Russia. But according to MKS it has “nothing with it”. MKS only assesses it.
The most interesting thing is that representative of Roskomnadzor has no information whether authority develops this draft law. “I have no information about this draft law, Roskomnadzor does not have legislative initiative.” Russian ministry of communication also did not receive this draft.