China’s “Great Firewall” gets more attention than the actual Great Wall. In China, the government heavily censors the internet. They do this to keep their citizens misinformed and give them a feeling of superiority and isolation.
Russia has engaged in information warfare across the globe. They spread fake news and distrust of the media in the United States to undermine our democracy and get Donald Trump elected. Putin also attempted to do the same in France, and has pushed democratic governments all over the world into turmoil over fake news and mistrust in reliable media.
Now they want to bring that level of influence home.
Putin already controls the media in Russia, a power Trump seems to envy. But he wants a little bit more control. Right now, he can’t keep his citizens from seeking real news from overseas. With a “Great Firewall” of his own, he will.
Russia’s Firewall
Russia Federation and the Ukrainian Peninsula Crimea, via Russian Federation and Wikipedia, 2014.
Russia’s legislature, subservient to Putin’s will, is pushing a bill to create a “Sovereign Internet.” The bill will create a centralized hub, controlled by the Kremlin, in which all internet traffic will travel. It would also allow Putin’s government to completely shut Russia off from the outside world, giving it an internet that is Russian-only.
These kinds of tools are extremely dangerous and there’s absolutely no good use for them. Dictators employee these firewalls to control their citizens and retain their power. This “Sovereign Internet” bill is a power grab by Putin to ensure his continual control of the country as he pushes the rest of the world into chaos. Putin continues to disrupt longstanding democracies in the U.S., France, Germany, and other enemies of his reign. He has helped push extreme far-right ideologies all over the world, furthering the divide between sensible sides of the political spectrum. Now he’ll have a strong base of operations for which to exert his will.
Russia has already blocked Telegram, as counter-Putin protestors were using it to secretly organize protests. They’ve also blocked Twitch and other streaming platforms that dissidents can use to disperse news or ideas.
Sources:
- Kris Holt, Engadget
- Claire Atkinson, NBC News
- Michael M. Grynbaum and Eileen Sillivan, The New York Times