Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law in May. But today's November 1 is supposed to start a new phase for Internet users in Russia. For civil rights and freedom of expression it could be a dark era, critics fear. In Russia, the controversial law for a self-contained Internet under complete state control came into force.
The nuclear and raw material power states that they want to arm themselves with their own infrastructure for a sovereign network against possible cyber attacks from abroad.
"This is the first time that the state has full technical control of the Internet," says Russian Internet expert Alexander Isawnin of the independent organization Roskomsvoboda (For the freedom of the network) of the news agency dpa. The law also provides for extensive data retention.
The possibilities for intervention in the network are manifold
So far, the providers could have worked in free market conditions, said Isawnin. Now the Russian state exerts direct influence. According to the Russian Internet traffic will be directed in the future via junctions in their own country. The infrastructure for this has yet to be built. Providers need to purchase devices for this. There are still many technical questions unanswered.
For Internet users, it should be harder in the future to circumvent restrictions of the authorities. The country's media regulator, Roskomnadsor, has more ways to intervene in Internet traffic through its stand-alone servers.
Critics see the law as a pretext for an expansion of political control in Russia. The organization Reporters Without Borders complained that it would elevate Internet censorship in Russia to a new level. The group sees this as a violation of human rights such as freedom of expression and unrestricted access to information. Already, many websites in Russia - such as the opposition - are blocked.
Kremlin tries to mislead the critics
Many Russians fear that their land will be digitally isolated and intelligence surveillance strengthened. Thousands of people had demonstrated against the law. Criticism also focused on the costs of switching to the government. At the beginning of the year, laws had already been enacted providing for heavy fines or even arrest for disseminating false information on the Internet.
The Russian leadership rejects the concerns of the critics. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Russia is not planned to be disconnected from the Internet. Rather, there is the danger that the West will disconnect Russia from the grid. That's why the country needs an independent digital infrastructure for an autonomous Internet. Putin defended the project as necessary for national security.