Digital Defense of the Internet

RosKomSvoboda is launching a public campaign aimed at defending digital rights and countering the current negative trend of government regulation of the internet in Russia.

In recent years, Russian authorities have passed a huge number of legal acts that negatively impact our digital rights and freedoms, the development of internet businesses, and the building of effective online communications—personal, public, business, and educational. Regulation of the online environment has clearly gone in the wrong direction. Instead of passing laws that should stimulate social, commercial, and scientific connections online, State Duma deputies are proposing increasingly strange and harmful initiatives for modern society: expanding internet censorship, introducing user surveillance, and imposing new obligations on information intermediaries—telecom operators, hosting providers, content providers, website owners, online media, and other participants in internet interactions.

It’s no secret that the most notorious laws are being adopted unilaterally—“people’s representatives” and government officials ignore constructive criticism from industry experts and public organizations. All repressive and regressive internet-related bills are quickly approved by relevant committees, rushed through parliament, rapidly endorsed by the Federation Council, and signed by the President of Russia.

We Want to Change the Situation!

This is why RosKomSvoboda is launching the “Digital Defense” campaign, where all of us—internet users, industry representatives, website and service owners, IT specialists, bloggers, scientists, and media professionals—can unite to defend our online rights. Otherwise, we risk living in the dystopias of Orwell and Bradbury—elements of such worlds are already creeping into our lives and becoming normalized. We are being conditioned to accept censorship as normal, surveillance as necessary, and total state control of our communications as being for our own safety. Ministries of Truth, Peace, and Love are already looming on the horizon. Thoughtcrime is practically here and now.

The first stage of the campaign is to unite efforts against one of the most dangerous bills—No. 608767-7 “On the Sovereignization of Runet” authored by Senators Klishas and Bokova, and Deputy Lugovoy. The first reading took place in mid-February of this year, and the second is scheduled for March. The bill proposes to put internet routing under state control, with Roskomnadzor as the regulator. Officials from this agency would have the right to instruct telecom operators on how to route internet traffic. Internet providers would be forced to install equipment that filters traffic using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI). Traffic exchange points and cross-border data transfers would be strictly controlled. All of this poses numerous risks—technological, economic, and social.

Lawmakers justify their actions as protection against external threats. But in reality, the new law would create many dangers, including the risk of cutting Runet off from the global internet.

Let’s Try to Change the Situation!

We have created a “Digital Defense” website where we will publish campaign news. Right now, you can find detailed instructions on what each of you can do personally.

We suggest writing to your deputies—a step-by-step guide is available on the website. Examples of such appeals are provided on a dedicated page. There, you’ll also find a file with extended expert arguments that you can attach to your message.

We want high-profile bills like this to go through open public hearings online, and not be rushed through parliament despite numerous objections from public and industry organizations. Users have long been concerned about the dismissive attitude of government agencies.

Going forward, we will focus on the response (or lack thereof) from government representatives on this issue and take further steps to consolidate the efforts of users and internet companies in defending our rights, including through legal action.

Please tell your friends and acquaintances about “Digital Defense,” and share the campaign on social networks and messengers. Spread campaign news using the hashtag #DigitalDefense. Download banners from the campaign’s special page and post them on your website, social networks, or blog. You can also subscribe to campaign updates on that page.

Internet resources, public organizations, commercial industry companies, associations, and media portals that wish to join this public campaign or otherwise cooperate with its organizers can contact us at: [email protected]

Statement from Artem Kozlyuk, Head of RosKomSvoboda:

“We are launching the strategic public campaign ‘Digital Defense’ in the hope that it will unite citizens and organizations who believe it’s time to join forces to create a tool for public and industry influence on lawmakers and their internet regulation initiatives. We believe that many harsh laws are being adopted in Russia, posing significant risks to citizens’ rights, placing unnecessary burdens on IT companies, website and service owners, and imposing excessive restrictions on the development of online communications. All of this negatively affects both society and business. We will take joint action to change this trend, so that users’ opinions are not only heard, but also lead to concrete steps by decision-makers to improve the situation for society.”

It’s in our power to do everything possible to make the internet in our country convenient, fast, and free, and to ensure that citizens’ digital rights are respected by the authorities!