OP 21 December, 2021 - 05:15 PM
(This post was last modified: 21 December, 2021 - 05:23 PM by ZAAN. Edited 1 time in total.)
Russia has blocked the popular Tor network that allows users to remain anonymous online.
The country's state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, confirmed on Wednesday it has blocked access to the Tor service.
The authority said the move followed the "dissemination of information on the site ensuring the operation of services that provide access to illegal content".
It is the latest development in a series of moves as Moscow aims to tighten its grip on the Russian internet.
The Kremlin says their efforts are to combat online extremism and terrorism, but critics say that Russia is stifling free speech and attempting to control political debate.
According to the Tor Project, Russian users are the service's second-largest audience, with over 300,000 users per day or 15% of all users of the service.
The authorities have also increased pressure on big tech giants -- such as Twitter, Apple, and Google -- ordering them to remove "illegal" content.
Tor said some internet providers had started blocking access since Dec. 1 and urged its users to circumvent the block by visiting its mirror site, which was still working.
"Blocking Tor would be practically impossible. It is a large community which will find the means to finance the organisation of getting around blocking in Russia," said Mikhail Klimarev, head of the Internet Defence Society, a non-profit group seeking to fight online censorship in Russia.
Source: https://www.euronews.com/2021/12/08/tor-...ne-service
The country's state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, confirmed on Wednesday it has blocked access to the Tor service.
The authority said the move followed the "dissemination of information on the site ensuring the operation of services that provide access to illegal content".
It is the latest development in a series of moves as Moscow aims to tighten its grip on the Russian internet.
The Kremlin says their efforts are to combat online extremism and terrorism, but critics say that Russia is stifling free speech and attempting to control political debate.
According to the Tor Project, Russian users are the service's second-largest audience, with over 300,000 users per day or 15% of all users of the service.
The authorities have also increased pressure on big tech giants -- such as Twitter, Apple, and Google -- ordering them to remove "illegal" content.
Tor said some internet providers had started blocking access since Dec. 1 and urged its users to circumvent the block by visiting its mirror site, which was still working.
"Blocking Tor would be practically impossible. It is a large community which will find the means to finance the organisation of getting around blocking in Russia," said Mikhail Klimarev, head of the Internet Defence Society, a non-profit group seeking to fight online censorship in Russia.
Source: https://www.euronews.com/2021/12/08/tor-...ne-service
