Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill to strengthen government control over the Internet. The new bill prohibits the installation of foreign servers in Russian domestic ISPs, but also stipulates the creation of a domain name system that functions only in Korea. Even if it is isolated from overseas internet, it aims at network function in rush or domestic alone. The enforcement of law is November 1.
Russian authorities have preliminarily approved the bill in December because of a defensive response to the US cyber strategy after the US presidential election in 2016. The bill, however, has been a strong rebound, including a massive rally for freedom of speech by Russian free and popular people. In my rush and my poll, 52% of Russian citizens said they could not agree with the bill.
But in Russia, Internet freedom is very limited. The government is blocking Web sites or putting restrictions on VPN use. In addition, independent media receiving foreign funds can be registered as a foreign agent and restrictions on the activities can be made. The Russian courts also decided in 2018 to ban the use of Russian telegrams, which encrypt and exchange text messages.
In Freedom on the Net, Freedom House, an international NGO in the United States, said the government was trying to ban anonymous activities on the Internet. For more information, please click here .