Roskomnadzor (RKN), Russia’s federal agency for communications regulation, has unveiled a plan to invest nearly 60 billion rubles, or about $650 million, over the next five years in updating its Technical Means of Countering Threats (TSPU). The upgrade aims to address and counter VPNs across Russia that have increasingly circumvented existing censorship measures.
The new systems are expected to improve RKN’s ability to block restricted content and manage online content, reports Forbes.
The planned investment will cover the modernisation of existing TSPU units and the installation of new ones. The project also aims to upgrade the Automated Security System (ASBI), encompassing RKN’s resource-blocking technology.
The Russian government expects to boost the throughput of TSPU units to 725.6 terabits per second and improve the effectiveness of VPN blocking measures to 96%.
Earlier, RKN’s approach to VPN blocking relied on IP addresses rather than the protocols. This method, while effective to some extent, is considered less efficient when compared to more sophisticated protocol-based blocking. The upcoming upgrades are expected to address these limitations by enhancing the TSPU’s ability to detect and block a broader range of VPN protocols.
In parallel with the TSPU modernisation, the RKN will continue to manage a register of prohibited resources, which includes websites related to illegal content, gambling, and extremist materials.
Operators are required to block access to these sites with TSPU facilitating the task.
With these measures, the internet landscape in Russia will fall further into the hands of the authoritarian government. In February 2024, Russia passed a law banning Russian citizens and organisations from displaying advertisements from those sources that are deemed ‘foreign agents’ by the government.
Moreover, the Russian government is also banning independent journalists’ YouTube channels and is discussing banning copyright royalties for artists.
Currently, Russia ranks 162nd out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders. With these measures, Russia is bound to increase its authoritarian control over the press and internet freedom.
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