Great Russian firewall - what is it?

The Internet has long been considered free space in which each of us could do anything. And if in recent years freedom in RuNet was somewhat curtailed, then with the introduction of new initiatives by officials, the global network will quickly become local and will be subject to strict censorship. What is the “Russian firewall” and are there really dark times waiting for the RuNet? In this and try to understand the new blog article Profit hunters.biz.

What is a Russian firewall?

One of the most discussed topics lately has become the draft law on global Internet censorship, which was invented not in a totalitarian country forgotten by God, but in Russia. It would seem a good idea: to make the Russian Internet sovereign and independent from other countries. But, as has become customary in our country, under the beautiful slogans and noble goals, the other side of the coin is also hidden. But first things first.

Attempts to regulate and control the Internet space were before, but then there was no reason for total censorship. Now, lawmakers have found a compelling reason: the alleged US National Cybersecurity Strategy is aggressively opposed to Russia. And so that the world community, the United States or any other characters do not disconnect us from the Internet, we must do it first.

The Klishas, ​​Side and Lugovoi Bill involves the following steps:

• The Russian Internet will work autonomously, that is, it will be independent of the global network.
• All Internet traffic will be monitored by Roskomnadzor and providers will be required to comply with blocking requirements. 
• The volume of data transmitted between Russian users and foreign sites will be minimized - from the current 60% to 5%.
• It is intended to create a national domain name system.
• Restriction of user access to "prohibited" information.

As you can see, the legislators have come up with a large scope of work, but they note that not much is needed from the budget for the implementation of the firewall - about 20 billion rubles. Experts also have a different opinion and argue that the figure may be ten times higher. Who will pay for all the innovations is still unknown.

Why really need a Russian firewall?

World history does not know the cases that any of the countries have arranged an Internet blockade - not the fact that it is technically possible at all. Nevertheless, Russian officials quite seriously talk about such a threat and, hiding behind it, are trying to bend the Russian Internet under themselves. If a firewall is really implemented, as it was done in China at one time, then we will face the most severe censorship.

Special attention is paid to reducing data transmission from foreign resources. If today about 60% of traffic comes from abroad, then officials plan to cut it to 5%. This means that Russian citizens will be blocked from accessing a large number of foreign websites: it’s time to say goodbye to Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Google. It seems that the Internet, which officials want to offer us, will be very limited and controlled. And even though the threat of other countries turning off the Internet does not fit in with total censorship, in the minds of lawmakers, the Internet of the future looks just like that.

Obviously, it is the total control over the Internet space that is the main reason for this bill. Moreover, the experts who studied its provisions, argue that its developers are absolutely not competent in the matter. One can only guess what to expect from officials who do not understand the technical aspects and want to fully control Internet traffic.

Is it possible to implement a plan for total control of the Runet?

The idea that all countries of the world suddenly decide to disconnect us from the Internet sounds implausible. Experts are skeptical not only of this thought, but also of the bill itself. In the first place, if only because it is simply impossible to bring it to life in full. We all remember the story of the blocking of the Telegram, when Roskomnadzor tried to disable the messenger, and hundreds of other sites suffered from it.

Although the idea of ​​a “magic switch”, which disables the Runet from the global network, can be implemented, yet the firewall raises many questions regarding the technical implementation:

• According to experts, the cost of equipment and all related activities will reach hundreds of billions of rubles. Where this money comes from and who will pay the bills is unknown.
• When locking “dangerous” resources can suffer and innocent of anything - the case with the blocking of the Telegram confirms this.
• Implementing the bill would prevent satellite Internet, but for now it’s too early to talk about its launch.

What could be the consequences of a firewall?

According to experts, serious cyber-wars from foreign opponents do not threaten Runet, but officials see a certain content as a threat. Therefore, the new bill on the sovereign Internet, it is nothing more than a repetition of the Chinese experience. As you know, in China, Internet censorship is carried out from 2003 year, and it should be noted that in this country there is the most ideal and well-established model for controlling Internet traffic. Thanks to the so-called “Golden Wall”, China is not only closed off from the global network by an iron curtain, but also closely follows the actions of its citizens in the network, which can seriously suffer even for an innocent comment.

Whatever the law on the Russian firewall may seem absurd and ridiculous, but the officials may well move from talking to business - the law has already passed in the first reading. In the case of its implementation, users and websites that will be under the full control of Roskomnadzor will be the first to suffer. On the other hand, the separation of the Russian Internet from the world one is a serious blow to the economy and an outflow of investments. Many companies that flourished due to Internet activities will lose the opportunity to fully work.

Let's not forget that the modern world is built on a global Internet connection. As in a limited segment of the Internet, banks, airports, various services and companies will work - it seems no one thinks about this. Especially when you consider that the developers of the bill are very far from the technical understanding of the work of the Internet.

We can safely say that the Russian firewall will not bring anything good. Under the loud slogans and goals, there is a banal desire of the authorities to control citizens, and with a complete violation of their constitutional rights. According to experts, there is no need to create a sovereign Internet in Russia, since even theoretically disconnecting the country from the world Internet by other states looks unrealistic and technically impossible - such a threat is clearly far-fetched.

At the moment, it is not known how the Russian firewall will be implemented and what will fall under the rules of Roskomnadzor, which, according to the idea of ​​the organizers of this absurd undertaking, should become the ruler of the Internet. In any case, let's not forget that even in China, which created its perfect system of Internet censorship, there is a place for VPN-services that, although prohibited, are used.