No immediate decision on VPN ban in Russia reported at present.
Rewritten Article:
Looks like the Kremlin's official spokesperson danced around questions about a potential VPN ban in Russia, stating that no concrete decisions have been made on the issue as of now. According to him, we should take that as our cue. His statement was shared by Interfax.
Previously, it went down that VPN services offering access to blocked sites were set to be unavailable starting March 1st. Alexander Hinstein, the head of the State Duma's Information Policy Committee, mentioned there was no talk about a total VPN ban yet.
Various media outlets published articles, quoting Catherine Mizulina, head of the Safe Internet League, stating that VPN services would be nixed in Russia starting March 1st. However, Mizulina later came out saying such reports were a mere interpretation of her words.
It's worth noting that back in July 2024, Apple eliminated 25 VPN apps from the App Store in Russia due to compliance with local authorities. This move hints at ongoing monitoring of VPN usage, even though it doesn't necessarily mean a total ban on VPN services. The Russian government has demonstrated a strong desire to regulate online content and access, including efforts to curtail information and censor specific websites, which can only be accessed via a VPN. Despite these efforts, there hasn't been a reported full ban on VPN use as of March 1, 2023.
The general news concerning the potential VPN ban in Russia continues to evolve, with the Kremlin's spokesperson avoiding giving a definitive answer on the issue. Echoing this, Alexander Hinstein, head of the State Duma's Information Policy Committee, reiterated that a total VPN ban has not been openly discussed yet.
