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Connection across national borders
Photo: NordVPN
Russia continues to restrict Internet use.
Six providers of protected network connections, so-called VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are blocked.
Via VPN connections, users establish an encrypted connection to a connection abroad.
This allows users to disguise their real location on the Internet and access, for example, the Netflix offer in the USA.
However, it is also possible to access websites that are actually blocked in a country.
This is exactly what the media supervisory authority Roskomnadzor wants to prevent, according to a statement on Friday.
Virtual private networks would mean that "access to prohibited information and resources is retained," claims the Russian authority.
In addition, they are a prerequisite for "illegal activities" such as drug trafficking, extremism and the spread of child pornography.
Critics complain about censorship
Thousands of Internet sites have been blocked in Russia, many of them by opposition members, but also by independent and critical media.
The authorities justify the bans with violations of Russian laws.
Critics, on the other hand, complain about censorship.
Freedom of expression in the largest country in the world in terms of area is being increasingly restricted.
The authorities recently increased their actions against members of the opposition and those who think differently.
According to IT experts, among the blocked VPN providers, all of which are based abroad, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are also the two most popular services in Russia.
In principle, the use of VPN networks to bypass blocked websites has been prohibited in Russia since 2017.
However, there are still many alternatives online.
A good three months ago, the use of two providers was restricted.
After that, according to research by the daily newspaper »Kommersant«, the prices for VPN tunnel connections rose significantly.
Experts attributed this to higher demand.
In Russia, a new parliament will be elected in just over two weeks.
mak / dpa
