On April 13, a Russian court decision outlawed Telegram, a popular and highly secure messaging app. The Kremlin’s prohibition of Telegram stems from creator Pavel Durov’s refusal to grant Russian authorities access to encrypted chats. In an effort to shut down Telegram, Roskomnadzor, the Russian communications and technology regulator, blocked more than 18 million IP addresses.
Although the Kremlin claims it attempts to gain access to all private communications in Russia to combat terrorism, it is likely that the Russian government instead hopes to gravitate toward a society without internet freedom. In the past, Russian authorities have implied that they plan to construct a “Great Russian Firewall,” similar to that built by the Chinese government. This firewall would serve as a domestic internet infrastructure isolated from the global web. Additionally, Roskomnadzor head Aleksandr Zharov shared that if Facebook refused to comply with a law requiring that all personal data of Russians be stored in Russia, the platform would be investigated and potentially blocked. Twitter has already agreed to oblige. Clearly, the fierce battle to censor the Russian internet has erupted.
The Kremlin’s pursuit of Telegram will not merely decide the fate of one messaging app. The outcome of the government’s attack on Telegram may determine the future of the Russian internet. If the Russian government successfully blocks Telegram, it may soon take more extreme lengths. Blocking Telegram from Russia will deliver the message that the Russian government holds the power to restrict the knowledge and other resources of the people.
Not only will digital censorship suppress the Russian population, but it will also encourage other nations to follow suit. In fact, a judicial order to block Telegram recently ignited protests in Iran. During his campaign for re-election in May 2017, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani promised to retain free access to Telegram. Yet on April 30, web service providers began to restrict access to Telegram in Iran. This comes as no surprise, given that the Kremlin continues to prosecute the messenger app despite Mr. Durov’s countless methods of thwarting the attacks. The Kremlin has shown the Iranian government that digital censorship is possible when overlooking national protest. This message that restricting web access can be implemented easily and without consequence may expand on a global scale, thus endangering the people’s free speech and free thought throughout the world.
Though the Russian government insists that Telegram is only harming the nation’s welfare, its attempts to block Telegram have already hurt the country. Roskomnadzor created collateral damage by blocking a vast range of IP addresses. As a result, a variety of other sites were wrongly shut down, Volvo dealerships were unable to access their service records, Kremlin museums were forced to suspend ticket sales, and a variety of social media platforms were shut down, to give only a few examples. Many of these sites suffered financial losses. Moreover, the Kremlin has displayed great hypocrisy in their pursuit of Telegram. While the government pushes the idea of developing Russian technology and innovation, it aims to sabotage Telegram, a Russian brand achieving success worldwide; instead, Russia is encouraging the use of slower apps as alternatives. In this case, the Kremlin is undermining Russia’s own ambitions.
It’s clear that the Russian government’s actions toward stricter digital censorship in Russia will only hurt the prosperity of the nation. By banning Telegram, the Kremlin has ignited the battle for internet freedom, and from here on, it will only intensify.
