Internet Services Weigh the Value of Continued Ties With Russia
2022-03-18
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Western technology companies recently began cutting ties with Russia after its invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
2And the Russian government has long worked to control the internet in the country and how citizens get information.
3This has worried Russian investigative reporter Andrei Soldatov.
4He spent years reporting on Russian censorship.
5Now, he lives in exile.
6He is worried that efforts to help Ukraine will instead help Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to control the internet.
7He said the social media service Facebook was a way for Russians to talk about what was going on in Ukraine.
8Facebook has not left. But the Russian government has restricted access to the service.
9It has used a new law to make it a crime to spread information that disputes government statements.
10Western media and independent news services have been blocked in Russia.
11Another social media site, Instagram, also faces restricted access.
12However, the latest censorship efforts have shown how even the average Russian can get around these efforts to restrict the internet.
13For example, the government has so far only had limited success in blocking virtual private networks, or VPNs.
14These methods permit users to go around internet restriction.
15The Associated Press says that efforts to restrict the use of software that defeats censorship also have not been fully successful.
16Internet services providers and services which have sympathy for Ukraine have a difficult choice.
17They face pressure to punish the Russian government.
18They also face economic pressure to limit their services because it is unclear if they will be paid.
19However, they are worried about stopping the free flow of information which can balance Russian efforts for media control.
20Amazon Web Services which provides internet storage in what is called the cloud continues to operate in Russia.
21But it is not taking on new customers.
22Two other internet companies, Cloudflare and Akamai, are also still operating in Russia.
23But they are not working with state-owned companies and companies under international sanctions.
24Microsoft has not said if it will stop its cloud services in the country.
25But it suspended all new sales of its products and services.
26One major U.S.-based internet provider, Cogent, has cut direct connections inside Russia.
27But it has left its network available for partner Russian network providers to use.
28So has the American company Lumen Technologies.
29Cogent chief Dave Schaeffer said, "We have no desire to cut off Russian individuals and think that an open internet is critical to the world."
30He said direct connections to internet providing servers inside Russia could be used for online attacks.
31Under a 2019 "sovereign internet" law, Russia is supposed to be able to operate its internet independent of the rest of the world.
32But the law has brought Russia closer to the kind of intensive internet monitoring and control carried out by China and Iran.
33Its telecommunications oversight agency, Rozkomnadzor, successfully tested the system a year ago when it restricted access to Twitter.
34It uses hundreds of devices that are controlled by government officials that can block individual websites and serviced.
35Those devices are placed by law at all internet providers inside Russia.
36The system also lets FSB security service spy on Russian citizens.
37However, experts say it is weak when compared to China's system of internet controls known as the Great Firewall.
38Andrew Sullivan is the president of the nonprofit Internet Society which is based in the U.S.
39He said there is no evidence that Russia can successfully disconnect itself from the wider internet.
40For people within Russia, being able to access outside websites and programs depend on foreign-based VPNs and similar methods.
41However, Russians say they have trouble paying for such services since credit providers Visa and Mastercard cut off Russia earlier this month.
42I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Western technology companies recently began cutting ties with Russia after its invasion of neighboring Ukraine. 2And the Russian government has long worked to control the internet in the country and how citizens get information. 3This has worried Russian investigative reporter Andrei Soldatov. He spent years reporting on Russian censorship. Now, he lives in exile. He is worried that efforts to help Ukraine will instead help Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to control the internet. 4He said the social media service Facebook was a way for Russians to talk about what was going on in Ukraine. 5Facebook has not left. But the Russian government has restricted access to the service. It has used a new law to make it a crime to spread information that disputes government statements. 6Western media and independent news services have been blocked in Russia. Another social media site, Instagram, also faces restricted access. However, the latest censorship efforts have shown how even the average Russian can get around these efforts to restrict the internet. 7For example, the government has so far only had limited success in blocking virtual private networks, or VPNs. These methods permit users to go around internet restriction. The Associated Press says that efforts to restrict the use of software that defeats censorship also have not been fully successful. 8Foreign tech companies in Russia 9Internet services providers and services which have sympathy for Ukraine have a difficult choice. They face pressure to punish the Russian government. They also face economic pressure to limit their services because it is unclear if they will be paid. However, they are worried about stopping the free flow of information which can balance Russian efforts for media control. 10Amazon Web Services which provides internet storage in what is called the cloud continues to operate in Russia. But it is not taking on new customers. Two other internet companies, Cloudflare and Akamai, are also still operating in Russia. But they are not working with state-owned companies and companies under international sanctions. 11Microsoft has not said if it will stop its cloud services in the country. But it suspended all new sales of its products and services. 12One major U.S.-based internet provider, Cogent, has cut direct connections inside Russia. But it has left its network available for partner Russian network providers to use. So has the American company Lumen Technologies. 13Cogent chief Dave Schaeffer said, "We have no desire to cut off Russian individuals and think that an open internet is critical to the world." He said direct connections to internet providing servers inside Russia could be used for online attacks. 14Internet control 15Under a 2019 "sovereign internet" law, Russia is supposed to be able to operate its internet independent of the rest of the world. But the law has brought Russia closer to the kind of intensive internet monitoring and control carried out by China and Iran. 16Its telecommunications oversight agency, Rozkomnadzor, successfully tested the system a year ago when it restricted access to Twitter. It uses hundreds of devices that are controlled by government officials that can block individual websites and serviced. Those devices are placed by law at all internet providers inside Russia. 17The system also lets FSB security service spy on Russian citizens. However, experts say it is weak when compared to China's system of internet controls known as the Great Firewall. 18Andrew Sullivan is the president of the nonprofit Internet Society which is based in the U.S. He said there is no evidence that Russia can successfully disconnect itself from the wider internet. 19For people within Russia, being able to access outside websites and programs depend on foreign-based VPNs and similar methods. However, Russians say they have trouble paying for such services since credit providers Visa and Mastercard cut off Russia earlier this month. 20I'm Gregory Stachel. 21Frank Bajak and Barbara Ortutay reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 22__________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24censor - v. to examine books, movies, or letters in order to remove things that are considered to be offensive, immoral, or harmful to society 25access - n. a way of being able to use or get something 26sanction - n.(pl.) actions taken to force a country to obey international law by limiting or stopping trade or cutting economic aid 27customer -n. a person who buys goods or services from a business 28sovereign - adj. having independent authority and the right to govern itself 29monitor - v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time 30We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.