Russians use VPNs, multiple phones and state-backed apps as internet restrictions tighten
The Facts
- Since Russia increased internet controls this year, some people have been using workarounds such as VPNs and multiple phones to access blocked or restricted online services.
- WhatsApp is described in the coverage as blocked in Russia, and users are using VPNs to access it.
- Russian Railways' website bars users who are using VPN-type tools to obscure their location, leading some users to switch VPNs off for certain transactions.
- Officials have been encouraging the use of state-backed digital alternatives such as the app MAX as part of a push for what sources describe as digital sovereignty.
- Coverage says some users are wary of MAX because Kremlin critics and some Western tech companies have warned it could be used for tracking, an allegation that VK, the app's owner, denies.
- VPN demand has risen sharply in Russia, with reports citing 9.2 million downloads on Google Play of the top five VPNs in March, 14 times more than in March of the previous year.
- The internet restrictions have affected more than communications, with reports saying they have at times disrupted banking, transport and e-commerce.
- The tightening controls come ahead of a September parliamentary election, and the restrictions have drawn criticism from some bloggers, business leaders and even some social media influencers.
How left and right are reading this
- Both agree
- Tighter internet controls are imposing real everyday costs beyond blocked speech, disrupting banking, transport, and e-commerce while forcing people into clumsy workarounds just to use ordinary digital services.
- They split on
- Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: the burden on citizens navigating a more intrusive state digital sphere, versus the practical dysfunction that follows when control measures break routine online activity.
Context
Why are some Russians using two phones or switching devices?
The reports describe users separating tasks across devices and apps: one setup for reaching blocked foreign services through a VPN, and another for domestic services or the state-backed app MAX. They may also need to turn VPNs off for some Russian services, such as the Russian Railways website, which bars users obscuring their location thesun.my,93.3 The Drive,Independent.
Why has VPN use increased?
Sources say VPN use has grown as internet restrictions tightened and users sought access to blocked or restricted foreign apps including WhatsApp and Telegram. One report cited 9.2 million Google Play downloads of the top five VPNs in March, about 14 times the figure from a year earlier ynetnews,NDTV,News International.
What is MAX, and why is it contentious?
MAX is presented in the coverage as a state-backed app that officials are promoting as an alternative to foreign platforms. Some users distrust it because critics and some Western tech companies have warned it could be used for tracking, while VK, which owns MAX, denies that claim ETTelecom.com,thesun.my,NDTV.
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