Authorities Persist in Blocking Access to Bitcoin.Org
Subscribers of “RosKomSvoboda” have reported ongoing issues accessing Bitcoin.Org for several days. According to users, the popular portal about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies is only intermittently available.
Background of the Blockages
The first attempt to restrict access dates back to 2016, when the Frunzensky District Court of St. Petersburg added the Russian-language version of the site to the registry of banned information. However, the actual blocking began in 2017 (source). Since this block was implemented over HTTP rather than HTTPS, many users may not have noticed any issues at the time.
The second attempt to limit access happened more recently, again with a delay. The Central District Court of Khabarovsk, following a lawsuit from the prosecutor of the Industrial District, blocked a specific page of the site—this time over HTTPS, which is likely causing the current accessibility problems for the entire portal. Although the decision was made in 2018, Roskomnadzor only notified telecom operators to restrict access to the link in mid-July of this year (source).
Legal Justifications and Content Analysis
The prosecutor’s office cited a range of Russian laws regarding the dissemination of information, including the need to restrict content to protect the constitutional order, public health and safety, and to prevent the promotion of war, incitement of national, racial, or religious hatred, money laundering, disclosure of state secrets, terrorist activities, and the distribution of pornography. However, the court’s decision does not clarify which specific grounds were used, though Judge Yulia Bisurko agreed to block the link.
The article in question, titled “A Few Things You Need to Know,” simply explains what Bitcoin is, how crypto wallets work, the volatility of digital currency, how to use it for payments, and its anonymity features. It concludes with a section on taxes and government regulation, advising users to comply with the tax and legal requirements of their government and/or local authorities, even though Bitcoin is not an official currency. None of the content matches the prosecutor’s stated reasons for restricting access.
Legal Concerns and Court Procedures
Lawyers from “RosKomSvoboda” have repeatedly pointed out discrepancies between the prosecutor’s justifications and the actual content of the sites in question. Nevertheless, courts continue to side with prosecutors, adding not only cryptocurrency-related resources but also other internet sites to the banned registry. Additionally, regional courts often ignore a Supreme Court of Russia ruling that requires site owners to be present at hearings regarding the blocking of their resources. In this case, the court decision does not mention notifying the defendant at all. Instead, Roskomnadzor acted as the administrative defendant’s representative but did not attend the hearing, only informing the court of their absence.
About Bitcoin.Org
Bitcoin.Org is the official website for one of the world’s most popular cryptocurrencies. According to its “About Us” section, the site is “intended to help with the sustainable development of Bitcoin.” The owners state that the site was originally registered and owned by Bitcoin’s first developers, Satoshi Nakamoto and Martti Malmi.