'This is different': Why internet backbone services are cutting off Russia
Big tech platforms have joined the global backlash against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine....
In the past week, however, the severing of Russia from the global internet went one layer deeper. Two of the world's largest internet service providers, Lumen Technologies and Cogent Communications, said they would
block Russian customers from their networks over fears that their networks could be used by the Russian government for cyberattacks against the West. But a knock-on effect is that it will be even harder for citizens in the country to use the worldwide web.
The move highlights the tension over Russia's effort to erect what's being called a
digital Iron Curtain to close its citizens off from outside information, much like China has done for years. Companies find themselves caught between helping Russians freely access the internet and ensuring their services are not used by the Russian government to spread disinformation, propaganda or worse.
According to Schaeffer, cutting Russia off is a preventative measure
against cyberattacks that may be perpetrated through Cogent's network by the Russian government or individuals linked to it. The company, which is based in Washington D.C., has limited its action to around 25 customers that are incorporated in Russia and are directly on Russian networks, he said. That means Russian businesses that use Cogent's network outside the country through non-Russian state entities can continue to do so.
Lumen, headquartered in Los Angeles, cited similar reasoning for its decision, which came a few days after Cogent's.
"We decided to disconnect the network due to increased security risk inside Russia," Mark Molzen, the company's global issues director, said in an email. "We have not yet experienced network disruptions but given the increasingly uncertain environment and the heightened risk of state action, we took this move to ensure the security of our and our customers' networks, as well as the ongoing integrity of the global Internet."
Big tech platforms have joined the global backlash against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, with Facebook, Google, Twitter, Spotify, Netflix and others placing at least partial restrictions on Russian content — if not exiting (or getting themselves blocked) altogether.
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