*Russia's incremental moves to eliminate online privacy regularly target VPNs. To 'free' itself from Google and Apple, in 2022 Russia launched its very own app store, which ironically offers dozens of VPNs. After the government recently announced the mandatory pre-installation of RuStore on tech gadgets, a draft law will outlaw censorship-circumventing VPNs on RuStore. *
Russia has been tightening the noose on VPN services for years. Many non-compliant foreign companies exited Russia when faced with a choice; compromise your customers’ privacy, or else.
Any that remained were required to submit to state regulation, cooperate fully with the authorities, while ensuring that a massive list of domains and URLs censored by the state could not be accessed.
How that has played out on the ground in practical terms isn’t clear, but everything now points to a worsening situation that will almost certainly lead to even more censorship.
Google Play and Apple’s App Store ‘Replaced’ By RuStore
As Russia’s three-day ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine enters its 588th day, everything is going in accordance with the Kremlin’s plan. Indeed, even small inconveniences linked to sanctions and other minor irritants are being transformed into new opportunities for the Russian people.
Limited access to Google Play and Apple’s App Store, for example, prompted the launch of an all-new, independent Russian app store in May 2022.
As the image above shows, ‘guaranteed secure access to applications’ is delivered under the watchful eye of the Ministry of Digital Development. So whether people are influencing on Rossgram, meeting like-minded people on Topface, or doing their thing on InTokRUS, government support shouldn’t be too far behind.
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