cross-posted from: mander.xyz/post/49906744
Russia’s Digital Development Ministry has asked the country’s largest online platforms to block access for users with active VPNs by April 15, sources told the Russian business outlet RBC.
Ministry head Maksut Shadaev delivered the demand at a private meeting with representatives from more than 20 companies on March 30, according to sources close to those companies. One source said April 15 is “not a D-Day, but more of a target date.”
Under the plan, companies would receive a specific list of VPN IP addresses previously identified by Roskomnadzor, Russia’s federal censorship agency, to use for blocking. Participants in the meeting were also given a manual describing how to independently detect and block VPNs, including those Roskomnadzor has not yet identified or restricted.
Platforms would be required to share information about newly detected VPNs with the regulator so it can add them to a master blocking list covering all services. “Essentially, this is a fight against VPNs using the platforms’ own resources and their advanced technical tools,” one of RBC’s sources said.
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