A Cat-and-Mouse Game of Russian Internet Restrictions and Evasion
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- Russian authorities are creating multiple "white lists" of websites and apps allowed during internet shutdowns, but these lists lack clear criteria and vary between the digital transformation ministry and mobile operators.
- A New York Times analysis revealed that about half of Russia's top 50 websites by traffic, including all foreign services, are excluded from these lists and would be blocked during shutdowns.
- Moscow has enhanced internet throttling techniques, severely slowing connections to make sites and apps appear malfunctioning, exemplified by the throttling of YouTube in 2024.
- In response to Cloudflare's 2023 protocol to prevent network spying, Russia has throttled all websites using the service, often limiting content loading to just the first 16 kilobytes.
- Experts note that Russia is advancing its internet censorship methods, staying at the forefront of current global standards for network interference.
