Roskomnadzor Granted New Powers: From VPN Blocking to Hosting Provider Registry
The Russian government has authorized Roskomnadzor to block websites that provide information on how to bypass internet restrictions, according to a new government decree. The document states that the Unified Register of Prohibited Information can now include services containing details “about methods and ways to access information resources and/or information and telecommunication networks that are restricted within the Russian Federation.”
This regulation will take effect on December 1, 2023.
Background and Criteria for Blocking
The Ministry of Digital Development first proposed granting these powers to Roskomnadzor in early September. Later, Roskomnadzor developed specific criteria for restricting access to websites. These criteria include the presence of information that encourages or promotes the use of methods to access resources blocked in Russia, as well as justifying their advantages.
Under the new rules, any websites listing VPN services or providing instructions on creating personal VPNs and proxy servers to bypass blocks on sites and services in Russia may now be subject to blocking.
Hosting Provider Registry
The government has also amended the March 16, 2009 decree No. 228 “On the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies, and Mass Communications,” granting Roskomnadzor the authority to maintain a registry of hosting providers.
This regulation will also come into force on December 1, 2023. Starting February 1, 2024, hosting providers not included in this registry will be prohibited from operating.
Legislative Basis and Additional Measures
Roskomnadzor’s new powers to maintain this registry and block information on bypassing restrictions are linked to the adoption of Federal Law No. 406-FZ, which introduces a package of censorship and regulatory measures. The law initially focused on news aggregators but, through the efforts of Deputy Anton Gorelkin, was expanded to include numerous restrictions and prohibitions.
Other Regulatory Changes
Additionally, a decree has been adopted to conduct an experiment in Russia on labeling certain types of fiber optic products with identification means. The experiment will run from December 1, 2023, to December 1, 2024, and will apply to “optical fibers and fiber optic cables.”
There have also been changes to the rules for classifying information as publicly available data, which is published by government bodies and local authorities on their official websites as open data.