Russia says it’s fighting scammers. Its latest proposals would push VPN services off Russian servers, tie eSIMs to devices, and expand telecom data retention.
Fighting fraud has been a major focus of Russian lawmaking in recent years. The country has already adopted two sweeping packages of anti-fraud measures, and the authorities often use the fight against fraud as a pretext to push through repressive measures. This was their justification, for example, for banning voice and video calls on Telegram and WhatsApp. This week, Russia’s Digital…
The Russian government has unveiled proposals aimed at combating internet and telephone fraud, which could significantly restrict internet use within the country. These measures, outlined by the Digital Development Ministry, include pushing VPN services off Russian servers, tying eSIMs to devices, and expanding telecom data retention.
According to the plan, Roskomnadzor, Russia's communications regulator, will create a separate registry of VPN service customers who help bypass internet censorship. Individuals or companies found circumventing blocks would be prohibited from signing new contracts with Russian hosting providers for a full year. The Russian government would need to establish a procedure for Roskomnadzor and hosting providers to exchange information about the registry.
Federal Law "On Information, Information Technology, and the Protection of Information" Article 10⁻¹ specifies that the government will maintain a registry of persons using hosting providers' resources to host blocked information under the law. Host providers may not supply computing resources to those listed in the registry for a year after being added. The security service, responsible for internet blocking, could use this power to target VPNs as well, though the extent of such use remains unclear.
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