VPN blocking complaints become more frequent in Russia

In the regions of Russia, the number of complaints about blocking VPN services has increased over the past day (the technology allows you to provide a network connection over another network, thereby indicating a different, and not the actual, location of the user).

Roskomnadzor (RKN) stated that the decision to restrict access to sites that distribute information about methods of circumventing the blocking of content prohibited in the country will be made by the department independently.

According to Vedomosti, according to a representative of RKN, this right is currently assigned to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation and the courts. At the same time, since July 2023, the country has banned the dissemination of information about methods of circumventing blocking.

The Federation Council previously stated that an order comes into force on March 1, 2024, according to which VPN services that provide access to illegal information will be blocked in all digital application stores. In particular, in Play Market and AppStore, RIA Novosti clarified.

According to State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein, it is likely that we are talking about a legislative innovation that implies restrictions on the search results of VPN services that do not filter prohibited information.

Against the backdrop of the blocking situation, HideMy.name filed a lawsuit in Moscow against RKN, demanding that restrictions be lifted from it. The plaintiff company explains its position by the fact that HideMy.name is not included in the register of prohibited services.