Native son of the San Francisco Bay Area. Masters from UC Berkeley in Soviet History. Between 2009 and 2011, I worked with Leon Aron in Washington, DC, at the American Enterprise Institute. Since 2010, I've blogged at ‘A Good Treaty‘ and tweeted at @KevinRothrock. I also cohost the New Books in Russian and Eurasian Studies podcast with Sean Guillory on the New Books Network. Doctoral student in Political Science at UConn.
Latest posts by Kevin Rothrock
17 May 2017
The Russian State Media: Champion of Internet Freedom?
With millions of Ukrainians now at risk of losing their beloved online services, Russia's state media did what it often does in unexpected geopolitical situations: it suddenly changed sides.
25 April 2017
Russian Authorities Want Easy Access to Online Dating Logs
Do you hope to find love in Russia? If so, and you’re planning to use the Internet to meet people, the pursuit could be less private than you maybe hoped.
17 April 2017
Pick Your Poison? Russian Orthodoxy or Banishment From Social Media
Critics of Vitaly Milonov, perhaps the most reactionary social conservative in the Russian parliament, have vowed to get him banned from Vkontakte, where his “online status” features an “illegal expression.”
5 April 2017
Russian Lawmakers Want to Ban Kids From Social Media, Require ‘Real Name’ Registration
Lawmakers in the St. Petersburg area want to purge online social media of all children under the age of 14, and eliminate Internet anonymity.
4 April 2017
After Moving Servers to Russia, LiveJournal Bans ‘Political Solicitation’
LiveJournal releases a new user agreement, revealing what steps it's taking to adjust to its new existence as a blogging platform in full compliance with Russia’s stifling Internet laws
31 March 2017
Russian Web Censor Cracks Down Ahead of Next Anti-Corruption Protests
In the wake of the largest opposition protests since 2011-12, Russia's prosecutor general is cracking down on the organizers of demonstrations planned for April 2.
10 March 2017
Russia Adds First-Ever Foreign Messaging App to Federal Registry
For the first time ever, Russia’s federal censor, Roskomnadzor, has added a foreign online messenger to its “Registry of Information-Dissemination Organizers,” targeting the Swiss company Threema.
23 February 2017
Russia's Censor Suddenly Wants to Know More About Channels on Telegram
With help from a Putin-launched political movement, Russia's federal censor met on Tuesday behind closed doors with the authors of several popular Telegram channels. And nobody knows why.
26 January 2017
Russian Police Lose an Easy Way to Trap ‘Internet Extremists’
On Tuesday, by revising one of its default privacy settings, the Russian social network Vkontakte significantly reduced the number of shared photographs publicly visible on individual account pages.
27 October 2016
Russia Is Reportedly Banning LinkedIn
LinkedIn, the world’s largest online professional network, is at risk of being blocked in Russia, where federal censors have convinced a Moscow court to outlaw the network.
