Why VPNs Are Worth Defending

In an alarming development, virtual private network (VPN) applications are once again being removed from Apple’s App Store in Russia. This move represents a troubling crackdown on a crucial tool for safeguarding online privacy and free speech.

To comprehend the gravity of this situation, it’s important to understand how VPNs function. When users access a website through a VPN, the website only perceives the IP address of the VPN server, concealing the user's actual location. This acts like sending mail through a post office box, ensuring the recipient remains unaware of the sender's true address. Moreover, VPNs can mask the user’s location, potentially enabling access to information restricted by authoritarian regimes.

The Russian government’s actions are part of a broader pattern of attempts to silence dissent and control information flow. In 2024, the Moscow Times reported that Roskomnadzor, Russia’s state media watchdog, targeted VPN apps on the App Store, subsequently banning Western social media platforms and opposition media sites. This year, Apple’s FaceTime software was blocked in Russia, and Bloomberg reported that the country has added Apple and Microsoft to its state surveillance registry, granting Roskomnadzor access to users' communications.

The implications of such actions are dire. As government control tightens over devices and the tools that enable circumvention of restrictive regulations, individuals in Russia are left with fewer avenues to communicate freely or access independent information. While this scenario paints a stark picture of what occurs when governments challenge privacy tools, it’s essential to recognize that similar restrictions are implemented in other nations.

In the U.S., for instance, some states are pressing for bans on VPNs, either to enforce age-gating laws or to outright prohibit their use.

Groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have vocally opposed these proposals, arguing that targeting VPNs is a perilous step towards censorship. Suppressing speech and online privacy is unacceptable, regardless of the location. What authorities might perceive as a loophole in restrictive laws often represents the users' assertion of control. The EFF remains committed to opposing any attempts by governments to infringe upon these rights.