Russia to Invest $644 Million in Upgrading Internet Censorship Infrastructure

Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, plans to invest 59 billion rubles ($644 million) over the next five years to enhance its internet traffic-filtering capabilities, according to a report from the Russian edition of Forbes. This significant upgrade aims to strengthen the country’s ability to control online content, blocking or slowing access to certain resources.

The funding will be allocated to upgrading the hardware used to filter internet traffic and restrict access to content that the Russian government deems undesirable. According to the report, Roskomnadzor has been consistently purchasing new equipment since 2020 to keep pace with increasing internet traffic.

Russia passed a “sovereign internet” law in 2019, granting the government the power to cut off the nation from the global internet in the name of digital sovereignty. This infrastructure upgrade comes in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which led to the expulsion of several foreign social media and internet companies from the Russian market. Despite the crackdown, many of these services remain accessible to Russian citizens through the use of virtual private networks (VPNs).

The planned system upgrades are designed to bolster the government’s ability to block access to VPNs, which have become a popular tool for bypassing state-imposed internet restrictions. Roskomnadzor’s efforts to strengthen its control over the digital landscape reflect the Kremlin’s broader strategy of tightening information flow within the country.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration in the US has taken steps to support efforts to counteract internet censorship. Last week, representatives from major US tech companies, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, met with government officials to discuss ways to enhance internet freedom through censorship evasion tools, according to Reuters.

As global tensions rise, these developments highlight the ongoing battle over digital freedom and control in an increasingly interconnected world.

Source: Bloomberg