Russia considers 'unplugging' from internet
See the original article here
Summary:
Russia is considering a brief disconnect from the global Internet to test and improve their cyber defenses. The test is expected to happen before April 1st this year, but there isn’t an exact date set yet. The proposed draft law, the Digital Economy National Program, requires Russia's internet service providers (ISP) to make sure that the country can operate independently in case Russia is isolated by foreign powers. This has angered many people outside and inside of Russia, some of which include NATO and its allies who are currently threatening to sanction Russia over the cyber attacks and other online interference it has been accused of.
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| Huge protests have sprung up after announcement of potential restrictions on internet |
In addition, Russia is creating a new net address system known as DNS so that they can operate if connection to these internationally-located servers are cut. Although there are 12 organizations who oversee the root servers for DNS, none of them are based in Russia. Furthermore, this disconnect test is expected to involve ISPs demonstrating that they can transfer data to government-controlled routing points, which will allow the government to manipulate where the information is being sent to. Routers perform the traffic directing functions on the Internet. These will filter traffic so that data sent between Russians reaches its destination, but any data destined for foreign computers is discarded. Ultimately, all traffic will go through these routing points and will be decided upon on whether or not it should be sent to the intended destination.
This is believed to be the setup of the foundations of a mass censorship system like the one in China, which tries to screen out all prohibited traffic. Although it is believed to cause a “major disruption”, the Russian government is currently providing cash for the ISPs to modify their infrastructure in order for the redirection to be successful.
Reaction:
To protect themselves from isolation when connection to the global net is lost, Russia does have a reason to perform such tests. I think Russia’s actions are justified, but the plan could go wrong and someone might use this chance to censor the internet in Russia, just like the mass censorship system in China. To ensure the rights and freedoms of the people in Russia, I believe that NATO and the allies should closely monitor the steps Russia is taking to perform the disconnect and their actions after the test is completed. Russia does have a record of being accused for cyber-attacks and other online interference, and this test might just be a prelude to an impending cyber war.
Connection:
Russia’s actions are very similar to those of the dictators actions we learned in the totalitarian unit. Although Russia hasn’t explicitly stated that they want to censor the internet, their actions imply that they want to do much more than just perform a simple disconnect. Many totalitarian states restrict the media and internet, causing there to be little freedom or expression from the people. Russia trying to improve its cyber defenses may also allude to a technology race against other countries, like the arms race between the US and Russia during the Cold War. By strengthening their cyber defenses, Russia can be potentially impregnable and may instead cause damage to others.
Questions:
1) Why may this test be potentially harmful to the citizens of Russia?
2) Due to its potential risks, should this law be passed, why or why not?
3) How may this affect other countries? Will they follow in Russia's lead or take another path?
3) How may this affect other countries? Will they follow in Russia's lead or take another path?
Other Sources:
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ReplyDeleteThis test is risky since it is essentially sending out the message to the world that Russia does not want to be dependent on other countries which might mean they plan on isolating themselves to gain power or plan to do something that might actually cause NATO to isolate Russia. Recently Russia has had increasing tensions between other countries (such as the United States, Norway, and Ukraine) and if this law were to be passed, it would further increase Russia's tensions with international affairs since it would send this type of message.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-46351715/russia-and-ukraine-why-tensions-between-them-are-so-high
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesrodgerseurope/2018/10/22/bolton-in-moscow-as-russia-warns-washington-over-nuclear-treaty/#162047fb49f8
This type of idea resembles the "Great Firewall of China," as the article mentions and might spark some other countries to follow suit, which could be dangerous.
I feel that the test for the DNS would isolate the people of Russia from the outside world and prevent them from connecting with overseas friends and family. Furthermore, it could prevent people from having access to outside information that would teach them things that would be harder to access in Russia such as certain facts or opinions. As the author states, someone could possibly manipulate Russia's personal internet for personal interests, which adds to the risks.
The summary and article mention that Russia wants to set up their own DNS servers since the 12 they have are outside of Russia. I understand how valuable it is to any country to have their independence, but not why the government wants to cut of access to the 12 other servers. As mentioned in the original article this may make people feet it is “an effort to set up a mass censorship system akin to that seen in China, which tries to scrub out prohibited traffic.” Although when China first introduced censorship they said it was the government's “right” to control what citizens see and don’t see, unlike Russia. (https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/09/03/evolution-chinas-great-firewall-21-years-censorship/) This still doesn’t rule out the possibility, of Russia’s ulterior motives. From our unit- Rise of the Dictators, we learned many different leaders, Mussolini, Stalin had different tactics. Blocking the Russian citizens could potentially be dangerous because it would blind them to issues outside of their own “bubble.” When the people in Germany’s media was blocked many of them had no idea what was going on in concentration camps, and were left unaware. Due to the potential risks I think the law should be revised and then passed. I strongly believe it's important for a country to be independent and just rely on others. The other countries might take this offensively, thinking Russia is “preparing” themselves for a war. It may serve to them as an eye-opener causing them to follow and do the same causing political tension.
ReplyDeleteLike China's mass censorship, this test has many potential risks against the citizens of Russia. The citizens of Russia will be censored from the world as they are stripped of many freedoms. The people of Russia will not have access to world events, or anything happening outside of their country which is an example of censorship, and dictatorship. In my opinion, I do not think this law should be passed because of the risks that may arise. As I have previously stated there are many ways that this "unplugging" can go wrong. In the authors reaction, it is stated that "the plan could go wrong and someone might use this chance to censor the internet in Russia, just like the mass censorship system in China", which is a valid fact. The Russian government may take this chance as a way to keep its citizens in the dark and keep worldly events or decisions out of their knowledge. As stated in the article used (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-13/russia-wants-to-unplug-itself-from-the-internet/10804346) Russia already tried to block a encrypted communications app called Telegram and ended up blacklisting millions of other IP addresses, including Amazon and Google. Ultimately, I believe that internet disconnection could end badly, creating problems for the citizens of Russia and Russia itself.
ReplyDeleteWhile these “tests” may suggest that Russia intends to implement a system of mass censorship, the more immediate effect of their actions is clear. The Russians are doing this partially to show the world their power and ability to assert this kind of control, sort of as a demonstration. The international response to their actions is exactly what the Russian government wanted - a massive outrage. This knee-jerk response can later be used by Russia to further indicate the inferiority and frivolous of Western thought, which they’ve done in the past. This is also done as a show of power for the people of Russia, to remind them of the power of the government. However, NATO has been very vague on the types of sanctions they’ll impose on Russia if they go through with this. NATO has been criticized in the past for making hollow threats, and Russia may consider this one to be hollow as well.
ReplyDeleteThis test will be very harmful to citizens because this is very alike to when Hitler burned all the books in Germany. This stops the people from questioning any of the government's actions because they won't know if they are being taken advantage of or if what is being done is also like what other countries are doing. This is definitely turning Russia into more of an autocratic country and there are many risks to the citizen's if this is passed. A lot of the world and local news is found through the internet which means the citizen's will not know what is going on in the world. Many smaller things which are done on a daily basis is through the internet and taking that away from them will diminish their quality of life. Since we know that Putin is not a very trust able leader we don't know if he has alternative motives to this act and it's not just about "checking cyber security". Other countries will probably not follow this path because it rids their citizens to some basic rights. https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/27/europe/alexei-navalny-says-putin-regime-is-corrupt-intl/index.html
ReplyDeleteI think this test is justififed because it is always good to have a plan incase of something catastrophic happening. Russia is just making sure that if many nations turn against them, then they have some way to keep functioning normally, instead of just being at the mercy of those countries. But that’s not to say that this isn’t sneaky. So far, if succesful, Russia will be the first country who will have this capability. I do not think that this test will be perticularly harmful to the citizens of Russia, as their lives will continue normally through Russia’s private network. Coming from a technologicial standpoint, I think that this law should be passed because even though it will give Russia an advantage, it will almost force other countries (that have the money and resources) to implement their own versions. This is how technology is improved upon and pushed forward. But if you look at it from the point of view where decreasing tension is the priority, then I do not think that Russia should do this. This would only force other countries to become hostile aswell. This would not decrease tensions (which are already high), but increase them, because of competition.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1086360/Russia-cyberspace-unplug-internet-vladimir-putin-donald-trump
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/11/693538900/russia-is-considering-an-experiment-to-disconnect-from-the-internet
I agree with you on the different perspectives that we must view before making such a critical decision. Russia’s actions are justified under the case that they are only using this test to gather insight and provide modifications to their cyber defense / internet independence in response to foreign isolation, mainly the West. But, if Russia overextends itself and censors their internet, this may not be justified due to the fact that millions of people will lack the freedom to express themselves. As seen in Aidan’s comment, Russia has been taking steps to protect themselves economically: decreasing their imports by over 7% from 2012 to 2017, increasing their gold reserves by over 60 million from 2016 to 2017, and decreasing their foreign debt by over 70 million from 2018 to 2019. This shows that Russia is trying to become more independent and rely only on themselves. Independency is a great thing and it is something that all countries should strive for. However, Russia seems to go above and beyond by increasing their tensions with other countries and decreasing the chances for any future alliances. This is why I am still a bit confused on why Russia would destroy opportunities it could take in the chance that something were to happen and would instead seek to stand alone. In addition, forcing other countries to implement their own versions of this said technology is crucial, but it may lead to even higher tensions as seen in the Cold War. Although technology will be advanced if everyone began striving for newer and better technology, this may encourage countries to threaten others or cause fear to spread among the people.
Deletehttps://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/01/putins-game/546548/
Deletehttps://www.brookings.edu/on-the-record/what-does-russia-want-how-do-we-respond/
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/internet/could-russia-really-build-its-own-alternate-internet
Our society is extremely dependent on the internet. Citizens receive daily news and connect with the world conveniently. Russia’s plan of unplugging the internet focuses mainly on cyber attacks from foreign countries. (https://www.npr.org/2019/02/11/693538900/russia-is-considering-an-experiment-to-disconnect-from-the-internet) However, that might just be an excuse for the government to sound benevolent to the public. In my opinion, Russia is approaching the current situation of China. The censorship of internet might start as only excluding violent comments from exterior countries, but in the process of censoring, the government can choose to exclude any information not beneficial for the citizens to be aware of. This might include useful current events that can change the actions and opinions of everyone living in Russia. If the law passes, Russia will become the next China, and the government will slowly lean towards totalitarianism. This also affect other countries since Russia’s behavior might feel wronged. As Russia unplug, they accuse several countries as the source of cyber attacks. These countries will be angry and the international relationship will intensify. In my opinion, unplugging from internet is not a great choice as the consequences are impactful for citizens and foreign countries.
ReplyDeleteContrary to other commenters, I believe that Russia is taking necessary steps in regaining control over their own internet. While the citizens of Russia are impacted negatively by a temporary loss of internet, from the Kremlin's perspective it is a required sacrifice in order to improve the security of Russia. Currently, the U.S. and Russia are not very friendly in terms of international relations. With both countries pulling out of the INF treaty relations are strained. Additionally, with the Mueller Report coming soons it is possible relations will worsen further. In today's age, cyber attacks are a significant threat to all nations. Russia has taken it upon themselves to defend themselves against future attacks threatening their national security. While some see this as the first step toward censorship of the internet I believe this is the first step that Russia needs to take in order to protect their citizens,infrastructure, and industry in order to deter a potentially looming conflict. I also believe that Russia will not be excessively isolated by this decision. Russia has already taken steps to protect themselves economically including decreasing their imports by over 7% from 2012 to 2017. They also increased their gold reserves by over 60 million from 2016 to 2017 and decreased their foreign debt by over 70 million from 2018 to 2019. I see their current actions as a continuation of a trend where they hope to rely less on other nations and more on themselves.
ReplyDeleteAs Vladimir Putin once said, "Sometimes it is necessary to be lonely in order to prove that you are right."
https://www.thenation.com/article/cold-war-russia/
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html
https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/rus/
https://tradingeconomics.com/russia/external-debt
There are definitely advantages to being independent and not relying on other countries, but there is also the rights of the citizens to bring into mind. Having a backup internet in place is acceptable in case of a breakdown of the global system, but the censorship of internet is not a positive thing for the government in the minds of citizens in that country as well as other countries around the world. Fake News has been a current problem in the U.S., and that does not include censorship as far as I know. With censoring by the government, the fake news problem would become much worse because the government would be able to change websites or even make the citizens see what the government wishes for them to see. I also do not see how the economic increase is relevant to the shutdown of the internet. Russia can support themselves, and they have made it clear that they wish to be independent in every possible way, but the government does not allow for the independence of their own citizens.
DeleteI understand your viewpoints and completely agree with them. Internet censorship is a restriction of rights. Unfortunately, your seem to be making incorrect assumptions about the meaning of my post. I am not advocating for internet censorship, I am advocating for the Russian policy of internet independence. I believe this carries large advantages and could possibly deter a future war between the U.S. and Russia. Hopefully, there will not be future issues with internet censorship in Russia and the citizens will retain their freedom. I hope there is not a connection between the separation of internet and the censorship that is suggested.
DeleteRussia disconnecting from the internet for a short amount of time is not as much of a problem in my eyes compared to what they are going to do depending on what they find. Although independence from global systems may be an advantage, the fact that many countries are part the worldwide internet means that if the system fails, many countries will not be able to function with internet, which many businesses and homes rely on. Hypothetically, if an internet problem occured, and Russia's network still functioned, then Russia could have power over other countries. Also, this disconnect could lead to censorship of Russian media, just like the system in China. In China, many people scour the internet for any signs of activity against Chinese government, including websites and images. China has completely taken control of the government, limiting their citizen's freedom and taking away freedom of speech and freedom of the press.(https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/business/china-internet-censor.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FInternet%20Censorship%20in%20China&action=click&contentCollection=world®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=collection). If Russia could do the same thing to their citizens, it would be another massive suppression of citizen's rights. This could lead to a massive rebellion against Russian government because many of the citizens have access to internet currently. If the government took away this use, then it would be a bad problem because many people would disagree with this censorship. I don't believe Russia should pass this law, but that will not affect the problem and Russia will likely go through with the shutdown of the internet and install censoring devices.
ReplyDeleteThis test may be detrimental to the Russian civilians as the Internet plays a huge part in modern day society and would declare that Russia would want to be fully independent from the rest of the world. Without world wide internet access, the Russian government can control everything on the internet in Russia and remove any criticizing claims. I don't think that the law should pass as it would limit the freedom of Russians online. This may also harm international relations between Russia and other countries. I think some countries may follow Russia's lead and start creating their own independent internet system as it would give them more control over the people and possibly ally with Russia.
ReplyDeleteGovernment control of the internet can lead to censorship of the people. In a world where most get people get almost all of not all of their news from the internet, it is vital it is not tampered with. The fact that Russia will have the ability to tamper with its citizens' internet shows how it is a suppressive government. On the other hand, Russia has been under fire from many countries for some past events, such as intermediate range nuclear missile testing and production, which is banned by the INF. It would be a good idea to have an independent internet for quick communication across Russia in case its enemies cut them off. However, with the risk of more criticism from countries due to the possibility of mass censorship, I believe it is crucial for Russia to make some strict guidelines of what control they will have over the internet before they conduct the disconnect. For many oppressive countries, I believe this is a gateway for further suppression of the people. It is an easy way to spread government propaganda and prevent any anti-government speech. Furthermore, countries like China have also been using the internet to spread government propaganda to other countries. This could cause other oppressive countries that have not taken to the internet to spread propaganda to do so (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/technology/china-facebook.html).
ReplyDeleteI think that this test might be very harmful to the people of Russia. In our everyday life, we all use the internet, from using our cell phones to computers. But by doing this action Russia will completely isolate themselves from the world. In a situation where there could be viral disease, Russia would not be able to call for help fast enough to solve the problem.I think that this law should not go through, because it could be another way to brainwash and give false information to the citizens. In a BBC article, the author talks about how Russia will "unplug" their router so that they can improve and fix their cyber security. (https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47198426). By doing this Russia can change everything they want to see and can censor out information like china. I think that this could affect other countries by trust. The fact that Russia is changing their whole entire cyber net is concerning to other countries. This will make other countries want to change their cyber security as well which will make more isolation throughout the world. Like I stated before I virus or disease could breakout and before they knew it happened it would be too late to save anyone.
ReplyDeleteI think that this test should not be enacted because it largely demeans citizens and abases Russian citizens' rights. This only gives the Russian government an even larger over the internet. I think that it is a step in the direction of what the Chinese government is doing right now with "The Great Firewall." Currently, there are many websites that the Russian government does not allow citizens and residents to access.Some may think that these actions are justified and done for the right reasons, and I would agree. However, they can turn into the wrong reasons quickly. I think that freedom will be impacted by this piece of legislation because the Russian government has already conveyed how they are not the world's biggest fan of free speech and liberty. Since the killing of reporter/activist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006 and laws discriminating against certain groups and religions. Ultimately, this test will not result in beneficial consequences.
ReplyDeleteSources: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/02/09/how-censorship-works-in-vladimir-putins-russia/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.42c623c366e3
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/russian-test-will-cut-it-off-from-the-rest-of-the-internet.html
I think this test could be harmful to the citizens of Russia because it will isolate them from the outside world. The citizens will have no way of connecting to each other and will also have no privacy if the Russian government closely watches them. I don't think using this tactic will benefit the citizens because the government is risking citizens' lives to help prevent more cyber attacks. According to the article Russia Beyond,(https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/329586-russia-population-small) Russia's population is at 146 million and is slowly decreasing due to "uninhabited" places. This proves that Russia needs access to the internet in order to still have connection to world. Overall, I think the Digital Economy National Program should not pass as a law because it is taking away the rights of the Russian citizens to freely communicate with one another and cuts off access to the outside world.
ReplyDeleteAlt f4. To some people, this is a well known saying, although quite cringe worthy when I say it myself. The command shuts down most computers. I believe that Russia's decision to shut down their internet from the rest of the world isn't very smart. I understand that they think a mass censorship system like China might help improve the current state of their society, but it will make it worse. Through knowledge of the current state of, the world, we can't be without each other. According to Russia's actions, they will literally shut down their country from everyone else. This prevents communication between countries through Russia, and will lessen relations between them. The situation is not as bad when the key word is "temporarily," but I don't think they should attempt at this "experiment" anyways. The fact that data is being passed specifically through their country will bring up suspicion in other countries. A lack of trust between countries is the last thing that people need. Hopefully, this "consideration" will be ignored, and Russia won't have to unplug from society.
ReplyDeleteThis disconnect from the internet prohibits the citizens from freedom and voicing their ideas. It could potentially harm the citizens as it prevents them from doing daily tasks. The internet is a main source of connection between people and by taking it away, it could decrease production. I think the law shouldn't be passed as it seems it's the first step towards mass censorship. It takes away basic rights from the citizens as they only see what the government wants them see. Eventually, if there's a conflicting issue between Russia and other countries, the citizens would always support Russia as they would only see the news defending Russia. Citizens would not be able to see what's going around in the world. Depending on the outcome of this project, other countries may possibly follow if it goes well. However, if Russia faces backlash from their own citizens or other countries, they may not follow. It seems the disconnect is intended to scare the West into thinking Russia is preparing for war.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/russias-internet-disconnect-plan-is-not-what-it-appears-to-be
For the interruption of the internet, people in Russia do have a right to furious. Our society connects mainly using our technological devices and are dependent on it for many uses. I do understand that the government is doing this out of safety so that Russia is more independent and can have its own internet system. I have no issue with that as having your own system is convenient and may run faster. What I do think is wrong is the censoring. I totally agree that it is safer that way, especially if messages of violence are being spread. However, people deserve to be able to access information. From history, we've learned that many points of view come into play. If Russia decides to censor out one or several points of view of a dispute, no one in the entirety of Russia will know what happened. They will automatically side with the one that they are aware of and be blind to all other perspectives.
ReplyDeleteWhile this seems to be a reasonable test, things can escalate very quickly. This is just a few steps away from internet censorship. Once Russians are blocked from non government approved sites, it becomes easier to feed them propaganda and control their thinking. In totalitarian governments, after censoring non government approved materials, more rights get taken away from citizens. After censorship, what's stopping the Russian government from taking away more freedoms from their people?
ReplyDeleteI believe this test will be quite harmful for Russia's citizens and the law should not be passed. The internet is a very important thing for many people in today's society, and is something that makes many people's lives much more convenient, and even a short while can be quite inconvenient. Also, a lot of the internet is used for communication, and communication among countries is something that is important and leads to many advancements and everyone benefiting from it, so Russia's citizens only being restricted to an internet within Russia would be bad. For example, many instances of countries isolating themselves leads to their societies becoming less advanced technologically and knowing less than other countries that do communicate. Another reason why the law should not be passed is because I do believe that the Russia government will almost surely be using it as a chance to censor the internet due to them becoming more and more like a full communist government again as we learned in our previous unit, and they would want to establish more control over their people. This would also harm many of the citizens as shown by how China's firewall has affected their citizens and not let many to share criticisms of the government. This would allow them to do many horrible things and prevent the people from having much power to stop the government from doing things the people don't want them to do. Finally, I also believe that these consequences that could possibly happen are Russia's fault since they are the ones who are cyber-attacking governments and influencing many important things like elections in other countries (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/reckless-campaign-cyber-attacks-russian-military-intelligence-service-exposed). I believe that countries should not need to cut their internet's off from other countries, since it does hinder them, and that they should not try to attack each other through the internet.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that Russia should enact the internet test. It completely takes away the rights of Russian citizens. The internet in the last decade has become a key method of communication for most, and is continuing to grow. The Russian government already restricts the rights of their citizens quite a bit, thus this will only further escalate said restrictions. I do not believe this law will help anyone, it seems as if Russia is treating the internet like a "weapon" that needs testing. The internet should be free to Russian citizens, and not restricted to only government or Russian internet sites. Thus a law allowing Russia to isolate themselves and their citizens internet, is taking away some now fundamental human rights, digital rights.
ReplyDeleteI think the law should be passed and the test should occur. As cyber attacks are becoming more frequent, Russia should have a way of defending itself. I do not see a more effective way of defending against cyber attacks than disconnecting the country from the internet. According to NPR (https://www.npr.org/2019/02/11/693538900/russia-is-considering-an-experiment-to-disconnect-from-the-internet), Russia's intent to test out disconnecting from the internet stems from the publishing of the United States' 2018 National Cyber Strategy, which includes plans to protect American cyberspace (White House, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/National-Cyber-Strategy.pdf). Overall, many countries are developing plans to defend themselves from cyber attacks. The potential risks of this plan is how it would lead to mass censorship, similar to that of China. However, considering how Russia's unplugging is a test and only temporary, I believe that the test is justified and that censorship is unlikely. Countries may need to remain aware as the test will soon occur.
ReplyDeleteThough I respect the author's response to the content of this news piece, I don't 100% agree with their rationale as to why this kind of test is acceptable. It seems as though Russia's main concern and reason to perform this test is a fear of political isolation rather than global internet failure. Like the article stated, none of the 12 groups that maintain DNS servers are in Russia-- if Russia was to experience a diplomatic upset and break ties with any of the countries containing those groups, their ease of internet usage could be jeopardized (fair enough). To me, however, it looks like their proposed test is actually just a precursor to further internet censorship. It would create a closed system, limiting what information could enter it from the outside. This wouldn’t be a surprise, because media censorship is not unprecedented in Russia. Recently, the Roskomnadzor (Russia’s communications and mass media executive body) attempted to shut down the messaging platform Telegram; people became outraged, and insisted that this was a “first step” in more extensive media and technology policing (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/30/world/europe/russia-telegram-digital-resistance.html). Passing this law, hence allowing for more complete government scrutiny and control of the online content that enters and exits Russia, would most likely ultimately make citizens unhappy. The above New York Times article mentioned live rallies and protests against the attempted censorship, of which many of the attendees were previously politically inactive. Larger scale censorship, the likes of which this law and test could potentially enable, would undoubtedly lead to more activism from much of Russia, in turn causing unrest and dissatisfaction with government activities. Though this internet “unplugging” has the potential to be used for Russian progress, the Russian government’s track record makes it difficult to place trust in this test’s supposed benefits. It would most likely do more harm than good-- not only to Russian citizens, but to the relationship between them and their government.
ReplyDeleteThe surface of Russia’s plan to test their internet incase of a global catastrophe or an event that would result in their international servers going down is completely justifiable. Internet connection and technology in general is becoming more prominent in our world as a whole, from communication with others around the world to fighting wars. If you investigate the plan more deeply there are some shaky aspects such as the government would be able to control what information enters and leaves Russia, which can be dangerous for a lot of people inside and outside of the country. Russia plans to route 95% of all internet traffic locally by 2020. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/russia-to-disconnect-from-the-internet-as-part-of-a-planned-test/) This would not only affect the people of Russia but also other major countries such as the US, China etc… as these countries would know even less about what Russia is up to. We would be launched right back into the Cold War in an era of seclusion and a second arms race. But instead of an arms race of missiles and nukes, it would be focused around which country could produce the most sophisticated network that could be used to hack one another or worse. Instead of both countries being worried about being nuked, countries will worry about their whole internet crashing and being shut off from the rest of the world. If Russia plans to run these tests just to test their back up internet systems everything should be fine, but if Russia plans to use these tests for alternative motives the countries such as the US will be forced to take similar steps. For these reasons I still believe Russia should be allowed to run their tests but at the same time be closely monitored by the UN.
ReplyDeleteCutting off all ties, technological and otherwise, could be potentially extremely harmful, not only to Russia’s society, but the rest of the world. Russia is essentially preparing to isolate themselves. If they create a DNS server, and by being one of the few countries that has one, they would gain a lot of power and independence. The government having that much power could be very detrimental to Russian citizens. By blocking out outside countries, Russian citizens will no longer have access to anything going on in the world, essentially replicating the extreme censorship present in China, today. This huge gain in power could also lead to even more increased tension with other countries. Russia already has pretty rocky relationships with the rest of the world. If they were to increase their power so rapidly and by so much, other countries may feel threatened and try to do something to stop it. Without the need to rely on other countries, Russia could finally “fight back.” That being said, it’s valid for a country to want to protect themselves against other countries, especially when tensions continue to rise between them. It’s fair for Russia to want to attempt to become self-dependent and to figure out ways to block themselves from getting hit by cyber attacks. But the way Russia is going about finding protection and independence, could create more harm than help. Passing this law would give Russia way to much power and control, not only over its citizens, but over the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteI believe that removing technology/internet from Russia could be extremely harmful to the citizens of Russia. Technology is a way to spread ideas, news and keep contact with the rest of the world. Censoring this technology eliminates all of the citizen's rights to free speech. Practicing free speech creates a balanced country and restricts the leader from gaining too much power. According to wired.com (https://www.wired.com/story/russia-internet-disconnect-what-happens/) Russia is testing this restricted internet in hopes of creating "Russia's Internet." This new law would enable the government to disconnect from the rest of the world and ultimately restrict the people from contact with other countries. This new internet could also cause extreme chaos in Russia in the case of an emergency. It would be much more difficult for people to get in touch with the outside world for help in a time of need. I disagree with the author because I feel that the allies and NATO would have little power over the Russian Internet and would just make Russia much more isolated. Internet censorship is just one step closer to a dictatorship in Russia and it is important to protect the people's rights.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if it is correct to say that this issue is associated with communism, but I have noticed that in the case of Russia and China alike, the communism that is engraved into their history still has an impact on the way their governments are set up. The authoritarian aspects of these country’s media “filtering” is often hidden behind the facade that it is for the benefit of the people, rather than admitting that limiting their intake will solely benefit the government. This is not the first time Russia has tampered with their internet limitations; it was reported that Google has already acted upon adamant commands from the Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, to limit certain search results: “Google has started to remove certain entries from its search results in Russia in compliance with long-standing demands from the authorities...Russia fined Google $7,500 in November 2018 for failing to take down certain search results. (https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/02/07/google-began-censoring-search-results-russia-reports-say) Similar to what Simone commented, I believe that this censorship will ultimately displease many Russian citizens, and increase the speculation of an unfair and dishonest Russian government.
ReplyDeleteI think that Russia's internet shutdown test can be potentially harmful to all of its citizens and relations with other countries. This test essentially shuts of the Russians from the rest of the world, reducing their freedom of speech and other rights. It is unclear if the Russian government is going to filter international news to only pro-russian news. If this move by the Russians and Putin happens it will forsure negatively affect a lot of people. I believe this law shouldn't be published as Russia is currently under investigation by the international community for meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections and other online crimes. However Russia may simply just want to separate themselves from the rest of the world and rely on its on homeland servers for the internet rather than the cables and servers that come from the U.S. and Europe (https://www.wired.com/story/russia-internet-disconnect-what-happens/). This test will prevail international concerns over their own online security from hackers and what Russia's true motives with this test is.
ReplyDeleteThis test can potentially be harmful to the citizens of Russia, as all will be losing their main source of communication and access to information. Many citizens can be left without any source to contact loved ones in times of need and despair. In addition, stated in the article above, proceeding with this test can also lead to the possibility of one "[using] this chance to censor the internet in Russia, just like the mass censorship in China".
ReplyDeleteRussia’s plan to “unplug” themselves from the internet may cause harm to the citizens of Russia. According to abc.net, “it's all about testing a proposed cyber defence law”. This is in order to prevent an internet cyber attack on the nation. This plan may cause problems and complication because it can lead to the international servers shutting down. Putting this plan in motion can be extremely harmful because it limits the citizens right of speech. According to wired.com, this new law of Russia "unplugging" themselves restricts the people from contact with other countries. Doing this can potentially cause havoc in Russia in a time of help by cause of having no way to contact other countries.
ReplyDeleteUnplugging the internet will not do much besides isolate Russia from the rest of the world. In turn this would suppress people from their right to express their opinions. Similar to the censorship in China, this is unjust and will only lead to uprisings and much more tension between the government and its people. This law should not be passed. Although, I see where censoring the internet may benefit the people in the way that they can avoid any cyber attacks, it also limits the people from the rest of the world’s views.
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