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Russia ‘could split off from global internet’ – and US fears that Russian web could look like China’s Great Firewall

RUSSIA could split off from the global internet as the Kremlin cracks down on the web, officials fear.

As real war rages in Ukraine, Russia has is pushing ahead with an intense information war online.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin passed a referendum that will leave him in control of Russia until at least 2036

A key battleground in the Kremlin's online crackdown is the Russian internet.

Several businesses have shut down their online and physical operations in Russia.

Meanwhile, Kremlin officials led by President Vladimir Putin have blocked access to some of the platforms that have not halted service in Russia. 

Instagram, which is as Facebook in Russia, was blocked by state officials. 

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The Kremlin’s plans to isolate Russia from the global internet predate the invasion of Ukraine.

In 2019, Russia passed the which redirects traffic through Russian servers – allowing a watchful Kremlin to censor the web.

In 2021, the Russian government labeled the internet a .

This month, Russia’s deputy digital minister directed Russian websites to switch to domain name system (DNS) servers that are within Russia’s borders.

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In doing so, internet operations in Russia are dependent on hardware within the country which strengthens the state’s ability to control content.

Russian citizens can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to bypass Russia’s rigid internet restrictions. 

A VPN shields your IP address, hides your physical location and scrambles the record of your internet history.

But with Visa, Mastercard and American Express , many citizens have no way to pay for web tools to help them evade Russian censorship policies.

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All you need to know about Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Everything you need to know about Russia's invasion of Ukraine...

Kremlin crackdown

The Russians' work to domesticate the internet is not unlike the Chinese Great Firewall internet policy.

China governs the internet with intense scrutiny and has loads of restrictions against international websites.

The Chinese government has ownership over internet channels and lends access to people and businesses.

Chinese internet users rarely explore web pages that are based or created outside of China.

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