Latest posts by RuNet Echo
What does Russia's new “hostage-taking” law mean for social media companies?
The new law imposes new obligations on popular foreign websites and social media platforms with over half a million daily Russian users, asking them to register legal entities in Russia.
Russia blocks access to Tor browser website
The push for greater online censorship is part of the country's "sovereign internet" strategy which seeks to cement centralised state control over internet infrastructure and online spaces.
New report makes grim predictions for ‘Fortress RuNet’
The most recent annual report by Russian NGOs Agora and Roskomsvoboda draws some troubling conclusions about what lies in store for the RuNet in years to come.
Russia: Kommersant staff walk out in protest of censorship, triggering journalism ethics debate
The entire politics desk of Kommersant, several dozen people in total, has since resigned out of solidarity with their colleagues.
Russian regulators ask VPNs to block blacklisted websites, but most have refused
This defeats the purpose of a VPN, a technology used primarily to help people access censored websites.
‘Blood feud’ against Chechen blogger is the culmination of a months-long, unusually frank conversation about a buried past
Heated exchanges provide a rare glimpse into painful and conflicted issues that are burning hot in today’s Chechnya, ten years after the official conclusion of the Second Chechen War.
Teen theatre production banned by Russian authorities for promoting ‘non-traditional family relations’
Russia has recently passed a series of socially conservative laws targeting activists, advocacy groups and online media for anything that can be construed as "promoting homosexuality to minors."
Russian rocket Soyuz launches the first OneWeb satellites, tethered to the ground by restrictive legislation
Russians' hopes for censorship-free online access crashed and burned after the authorities imposed strict regulations and full government control of the pioneering satellite Internet program.
USCYBERCOM attack gives Russian legislators new justification for tighter internet controls
Both pro-Kremlin experts and their opponents see the USCYBERCOM's attack on the "troll factory" as ammunition for isolationist policies.
As Putin preaches ‘sovereignty’ and tech modernization, experts lament loss of online freedoms
As Vladimir Putin promises Russians a faster, more reliable internet, two reports by independent expert groups paint an unrelentingly bleak picture of more crackdowns on online freedom of speech.
Russian ‘anti-fake news’ bill rushed through parliament despite vocal opposition
Both the "anti-fake news" bill and its twin initiative against offending the authorities use Germany and other Western countries' laws as inspiration.
Six red carnations and one severed ram’s head: Deadly threats sent to Russian independent newspaper
The recipient of these grisly messages, the independent investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta, holds the record for the most of its reporters murdered on the job: six, including Anna Politkovskaya.
Google caves in to Russian demands, censors videos promoting a protest rally
This latest scandal is unfolding as Google is in the middle of an existential crisis, with its employees revolting against what they see as embracing censorship by their company.
Russian journalists killed in Central African Republic
Three Russian journalists were killed today in Central African Republic, at a checkpoint outside the country’s capital Bangui.
Russian journalist forced to resign for criticizing pro-Putin propaganda on Instagram
"We wish the Earth could live in peace, but if our commander in chief Beckons to fight the final battle, we are with you, Uncle Vova!"
Ukrainian authorities stage journalist's murder, taking ‘fake news’ to the next level
"The lesson here is to distrust reports from Ukraine."
Russian anti-corruption activists are jailed for ‘inciting riots’ based on their tweets and retweets
"...here goes another 'organizing a rally by retweet.' Looks like this time they’re just locking up everyone."
Moscow activists say telcos disrupted mobile coverage during protests, at order of police
Poor or disappearing network coverage during mass protest in Russia is not unprecedented, but now activists are saying the telecom companies are intentionally degrading the service quality on police's orders.
As Russian court announces Telegram ban, users stand defiant, amused… and worried
And as a year-long battle between Telegram and the Russian authorities ended with the decision to block the app, reaction to the announcement has been passionate and often derisive.
Russian Newspaper Closes After Years of Tense, Often Violent Confrontation with Security Services
In an op-ed announcing the newspaper’s closure on its website, the acting editor in chief Yuri Grozmani said he had little hope for domestic prosecution of FSB officers complicit in the act of censorship.
