• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
TechEngage

TechEngage

Technology news and opinions

  • Tech News
  • Reviews
  • How-to
  • Roundups
  • Science
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Space
  • Apps
  • More
    • Opinion
    • Noteworthy
    • Culture
    • Blockchain
      • Cryptocurrency
    • Events
    • Deals
    • Startups
      • Startup Submissions
  • Videos
  • Login
TechEngage » News » Internet

Russia to briefly “turn off” country’s Internet access. But why?

Avatar Of Jessica Baron, Phd Jessica Baron, PhD February 23, 2019

an image of ethernet and russian flag

If I asked you to picture the Internet for a moment – the actual, physical Internet – what would you imagine?

Many of us have no idea how this thing we use every day actually works. But in fact, the seemingly magical Internet relies on servers, satellites, cables, and wires that are scattered throughout the world.

Theoretically, no one really controls the Internet, even though they may control some of its infrastructure. And there are ways of disrupting it and censoring it. By now, we all know that China can prevent websites from being accessed by computers in their country. The (not-so-)Democratic Republic of Congo also just shut off their citizens’ access to the Internet and SMS services in January “to preserve public order” during a contested election.

Now, Russian news agency RosBiznesKonsalting (RBK) has announced that Russia will be the latest country to experiment with cutting it’s people off from the Internet. RBK’s February 8th report explains that cybersecurity experts from the country’s Information Security Working Group will perform this experiment in order to see whether or not they can implement a new plan to make Russia’s Internet secure, stable, and sovereign. The test will take place sometime before April.

RBK explained that a bill introduced in Russian Parliament in December called for the creation of an independent Internet. The shut-off will be a way of seeing whether it’s truly possible to create a self-contained Internet infrastructure impervious to hacking or other interference by outside forces. The U.S. and other NATO countries have all accused Russian nationals of state-sponsored hacking in the past and have called for an “offensive defense” in dealing with the security threats. But an independent Russian internet would theoretically be safe from any cyber sanctions imposed by the outside world.

The test will likely be just a few hours long but provide valuable data about how Russia can implement some of their plans as well as give service providers an indication of how their networks would react.

But as many commentators have pointed out, this experiment is likely to have one other payoff for the Russian government. The process could allow the country to implement a web traffic filtering and censoring system just like China’s.

Known as The Great Firewall, China’s independent Internet is managed by the Communist Party and allows them to block access to foreign websites the government deems a potential threat. Established under the presidency of Xi Jinping, it is designed to prevent citizens from communicating with each other and the rest of the world freely, especially those who would use the platform to advocate for social and political reforms in China.

Beginning in 2012, the government began investing in technology to monitor and censor content, including the blockage of over 10,000 sites. Since then, it has passed laws on acceptable content and instituted punishments for those who have defied the regulations. China has banned sites including Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and even Dropbox. News outlets such as The New York Times, Reuters, and the BBC are also blocked.

Whether Russia plans to implement its own version of The Great Firewall remains unclear for now, but it’s worth noting that Putin’s first mention of disconnecting his country from the global Internet came in 2014, when China’s president first started blocking his citizens’ access to social media.

The experiment will be informative for countries all over the world and, frankly, many will be surprised if it is successful. Even though Russia has tried to replicate vast swathes of the web on their own internal servers, the Internet is simply too complex and too global to be contained. It’s likely that many websites will simply stop working because they rely on multiple servers all over the world to function properly.

If the test fails, it could fail miserably, shutting down bank and hospital websites or aviation resources as well as disrupting service in countries that route their traffic through Russia. On the other hand, if it goes well, it will embolden not only Russia but perhaps other countries to censor access to the Internet and resources that encourage free speech.

Related Tags: China NATO Russia UnitedStates

Related Stories

  • Apple Iphone 5C Password Lock ‘Defeated’ With £75 Hardware Hack

    Apple iPhone 5C Password Lock ‘Defeated’ With £75 Hardware Hack

  • The Fbi Is Cracking Down On Fraud Against The Elderly

    The FBI is cracking down on fraud against the elderly

  • Alipay To Acquire 45% Shares Of Telenor Microfinance Bank

    Alipay to acquire 45% shares of Telenor Microfinance Bank

Avatar Of Jessica Baron, Phd

Jessica Baron, PhD

Former Editor-in-chief

I am a technology writer and tech ethics consultant whose work has appeared in international news and trade outlets. I have a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science and write about everything from future military weapons to advances in medicine.

Reader Interactions

Join The Discussion: Cancel reply

Please read our comment policy before submitting your comment. Your email address will not be used or publish anywhere. You will only receive comment notifications if you opt to subscribe below.

Primary Sidebar

Become a contributor

We are accepting contributor applications. All applications will be decided in 3 days after applying. To learn more click here.
TechEngage-Apple-News
TechEngage-Google-News

Recent Stories

  • YouTube Music App Now Lets You Play the Music on Wear OS
  • Netflix’s Long-term Subscribers are Canceling the Netflix Subscription
  • Google Announces New Features of Google Maps at Google I/O
  • Apple Releases iOS 15.5 Ahead of Annual Developer Conference
  • Twitter Deal is on Hold Over Fake Twitter Account Details
cool and creepy ces 2019 products

Cool and creepy new medical and health devices from Day 1 of CES 2019

best airpods cases featured image

Best AirPods case for 2022

featured image containing PS4 with controller

PS4 BUG: How to protect your console

An illustration of a tablet in hand with an ebook open, a person using an old tablet as an ebook reader

5 uses for old Android and iOS devices

Footer

Discover

  • About us
  • Newsroom
  • Staff
  • Advertise
  • Send us a tip
  • Startup Submission Questionnaire
  • Brand Kit
  • Contact us

Legal pages

  • Reviews Guarantee
  • Community Guidelines
  • Corrections Policy and Practice
  • Cookies Policy
  • Our Ethics
  • Disclaimer
  • GDPR Compliance
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Must reads

  • Best AirPods alternatives on Amazon
  • Best PC monitors for gaming on Amazon
  • Best family board games
  • Best Graphics Cards (GPUs) for gaming
  • Best video doorbells without subscription
  • Best handheld video game consoles
  • Best all-season tires for snow
  • Best mobile Wi-Fi hotspots
  • Best treadmills on Amazon
  • Best AM radios for long-distance reception

Download our apps

TechEngage-app-google-play-store

Copyright © 2022 · All Rights Reserved · TechEngage® is a Project of TechAbout LLC.
TechEngage® is a registered trademark in United Kingdom under Trademark Number UK00003417167 and is ISSN protected under the ISSN 2690-3776 and OCLC Number 1139335774.

Go to mobile version