Why Russia Wants to Break the Internet

5/14/19
It finally happened, at the beginning of May president Vladimir Putin signed a bill that seeks to establish Russia’s “internet sovereignty.” Among other measures, it dictates the creation of the infrastructure to ensure the operability of the Russian internet in the case of Russian telecom operators’ failure to connect to foreign root servers. A national internet, in other words. The idea of creating an autonomous system of internet governance originated in China, but make no mistake: the Russian internet sovereignty law goes beyond anything China has so far attempted. While China is able to exert control over the content that can be accepted inside its borders, the physical infrastructure of the internet remains very much outside its reach. But then, as Fang asks: if the fundamental infrastructure of the entire global network is based in one country what then happens if that country decides to disconnect China or Russia from the internet? The Russian plan aims to answer Fang’s question by creating a national domain name system, which the internet sovereignty law notes is not yet fully functional but is undergoing creation by Roskomnadzor, the Federal Service for the Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media.

The process is fiendishly complicated because it involves storing all prospective content of the internet on servers in Russia, but if it works, then Russia will effectively be in possession of its own internet, capable of fully functioning when disconnected from the global network. Putin said that Russia needs to create an area of the internet “that depends on nobody.” Russian state intelligence organizations have been regularly accused of interfering with the internal affairs of other countries. This attribution depends on the ability to trace the origin of the activity back to its source. But if Russia develops its own internet, that possibility is ruled out. Naturally, some worry that Russia is preparing for a world of recurrent and increasingly violent cyber conflict. One of the most attractive features of the internet as we know it is that every country is vulnerable to widespread disruption and infrastructure collapse, making it less interested in launching an attack with unpredictable consequences. But if Russia is able to isolate itself from the global internet, it suddenly will care much less about what happens to it. Think of a stealth fighter jet, capable of operating in full freedom, undetectable and indestructible.

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Westphalian said:

A man who constantly advocates cutting Russia off from various international systems expresses faux outrage at the result that Russia seeks to guarantee its ability to cope with such sanctions by making alternative provisions.

Get a grip.

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Westphalian said:

A man who constantly advocates cutting Russia off from various international systems expresses faux outrage at the result that Russia seeks to guarantee its ability to cope with such sanctions by making alternative provisions.

Get a grip.

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Westphalian said:

A man who constantly advocates cutting Russia off from various international systems expresses faux outrage at the result that Russia seeks to guarantee its ability to cope with such sanctions by making alternative provisions.

Get a grip.

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Checkerboard Strangler said:

One thing is guaranteed, Russia NEEDS connectivity to the rest of the world's internet more than the rest of the world needs Russia. That aspect of the issue will never change.

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Westphalian said:

That's true, and Russia does not seek to be cut off from the net. But it must prepare to defend its interests against western cyber threats and sanctions, just as it is prepared to defend itself from military aggression.

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All we're seeing here is Russian preparations against new threats. Let's hope that, just as only a few demented haters fancy a military attack on Russia, those who advocate economic warfare will become to be seen as equally marginalised and dangerous cranks.

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Westphalian said:

That's true, and Russia does not seek to be cut off from the net. But it must prepare to defend its interests against western cyber threats and sanctions, just as it is prepared to defend itself from military aggression.

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Rogue Valley said:

1) If successful, the Russian military will be able to viciously cyber-attack any nation and then withdraw and disconnect Russia from the World Wide Web, ensuring safety from cyber retribution.

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Westphalian said:

That's true, and Russia does not seek to be cut off from the net. But it must prepare to defend its interests against western cyber threats and sanctions, just as it is prepared to defend itself from military aggression.

All we're seeing here is Russian preparations against new threats. Let's hope that, just as only a few demented haters fancy a military attack on Russia, those who advocate economic warfare will become to be seen as equally marginalised and dangerous cranks.

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Rogue Valley said:

No Ivan. The Kremlin needs a method to insulate Russia from retaliation from the US responds to a crippling Russian first-strike cyber-attack on the US (electric grids, banking, etc).

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Westphalian said:

Look Jo, we both know that the US is preparing a first strike cyber attack. Russia has absolutely no intention of doing such because we value peace and respectful relations between states.

So for Moscow this is 100% a defensive measure. Russia is not an advocate of continuous war. It has rarely set foot outside its own post Soviet borders.

I wish the same could be said for the self proclaimed 'exceptional nation'.

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Westphalian said:

~........... Russia has absolutely no intention of doing such because we value peace and respectful relations between states.

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~...................- Russia is not an advocate of continuous war. It has rarely set foot outside its own post Soviet borders.

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Chagos said:

:lamo:lamo

One is torn between showing pity for your balderdash and admiring your stand-up comedy.

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