19 Dec 2022 14:03

VPN services in Russia 'not taking root' - Digital Development Minister

MOSCOW. Dec 19 (Interfax) - The share of those using VPN services among Russians is not rising, having declined to the level of March-April following a surge in the summer, Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev said on Monday at a joint meeting of the committees for control and information policy of the State Duma.

"When analyzing the traffic of mobile operators, it is actually positive news that we see the share of VPNs at some point beginning to grow, though the share has returned to the March-April level, meaning that VPNs have 'not yet taken root' in general in our country. The share of VPN traffic increased at some point in the summer, and it has now returned to spring indicators," Shadayev said.

Shadayev recalled that a system has been created "in order to block access to those resources that violate Russian legislation" as part of the law on Russia's sovereign ru.net.

Shadayev said that, "the lion's share of traffic already passes through the system," and the decisions taken regarding several social networks are "being implemented".