Avast ye! The first e'er Russia VPN lawsuit be aimed at the Kremlin's foul censorship contraption, mateys!
2023-11-02
Arrr, word be spreadin' that over 167 VPNs have been scuppered in Russia, matey! Now, ye be wonderin', if HideMyName be winnin' in Court, how might it sway this here mischievous trend?
A VPN provider in Russia has filed a lawsuit against the country's censorship body regulator, becoming the first ever to do so. HideMyName received messages from Russian users who couldn't access its website, despite everything appearing to be working fine on the provider's end. After a technical investigation, it was discovered that while port 433 responsible for transferring information via HTTPS protocol was not blocked, the server was refraining from establishing communication via TLS protocol, preventing users from accessing the site. This led HideMyName to challenge the block on legal grounds.According to Sarkis Darbinyan, Head of legal practice at Russian digital rights advocacy group Roskomvosvoboda, which is supporting HideMyName, the case is unique due to the lack of transparency surrounding the blocking and the unusual nature of the blocking itself. The blocking appears to be carried out through Technical Threat Prevention Units (TSPU), established under the Sovereign Internet Act. However, the website fails to meet the criteria of threats defined for this type of blocking. Previously, websites of VPN services were blocked, but it was still possible to download the application and use the VPN service.
HideMyName is one of many VPN services to encounter censorship in Russia, with over 167 VPNs reportedly blocked. Another censorship campaign is expected to begin next year, targeting VPNs that provide access to banned Meta-owned social media platforms. Online censorship in Russia has been increasing, with popular protocols like OpenVPN and Wireguard being blocked. Winning the lawsuit could create a legal precedent and help uphold against unlawful actions by authorities. HideMyName and Roskomvosvoboda are prepared to fight this battle and escalate the case to international courts if necessary.
They hope that the current political regime in Russia will soon end, allowing for the liberalization and sanitization of the country's laws based on decisions from international courts.