Russia’s ‘digital iron curtain’
As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues, the Kremlin is also waging another war: on its people, and their right to freedom of expression and to access information.
A new law criminalising online searches for ‘extremist’ content – anything that goes against the Kremlin line, including about LGBTQ+ communities, information linked to Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, and posts across Meta’s platforms – has come into force. Together with tough restrictions on messaging services Telegram and WhatsApp, and a crackdown on virtual private networks (VPNs), blocking over 100 million people from communicating with their families, colleagues, and the global community, it’s clear that Vladimir Putin’s government is entrenching its ‘digital iron curtain’.
The ban on VPNs, says ARTICLE 19’s Joanna Szymanska, bars people from the modern-day equivalent of smuggling books banned by autocratic regimes in the past across borders – a lifeline for many.
This is central to Russia’s broad pursuit of so-called ‘digital sovereignty’ – an effort to replace global platforms with state-controlled applications linked to government services. These measures represent not digital sovereignty, but digital isolation.
The simultaneous introduction of the ‘national’ messaging app MAX is also an attack on the right to privacy. ‘If ordinary people are forced to use this state-controlled app for communication, then obviously they can assume their communication will be watched,’ adds Joanna Szymanska.
As government leaders gather at the UN General Assembly, we urge states to call out Russia for its ongoing and severe violations against human rights, and its refusal to uphold its responsibilities under international law.
And we call on officials and diplomats to support Russian civil society, including independent media and human rights defenders, in their continued fight against digital and other forms of repression.
Warning: The Russian authorities designated ARTICLE 19 as an ‘undesirable organisation’ on 8 February 2024. While the ‘undesirable’ designation can be seen as a marker of recognition of ARTICLE 19’s work to promote freedom of expression, we understand that it also carries significant risks for those who engage with our work. Under Russian legislation, an ill-defined and overbroad notion of ‘participation in the activities of an undesirable organisation’ incurs the risk of administrative and criminal prosecution. We also understand that sharing and storing this statement in Russia can be considered a prosecutable offence and may lead to the imposition of fines and other sanctions.
