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- Dead pushers: the number of services in Runet with VPN restrictions exceeded expectations
Dead pushers: the number of services in Runet with VPN restrictions exceeded expectations
By April 15, a number of Russia's largest IT companies had imposed restrictions on the use of blocking circumvention tools on the Runet. And some of them are through subsidiaries, Izvestia found out. Almost the entire e-commerce industry used the recommendations of the Ministry of Finance in order to avoid losing the status of an accredited IT company and being removed from the "white lists", experts said. According to experts, many were preparing for such a scenario in advance and registered additional legal entities in the field for this. How the tightening of the policy regarding bypass services has affected users and what recommendations marketplaces publish for their clients can be found in the Izvestia article.
Which services restrict access to their services
In early April, 23 major players in the IT industry received recommendations from regulators on identifying VPN services and countering them, the media reported. Among them were Sber, Yandex, VK, Wildberries & Russ, Ozon, Gazprom-Media, Avito, X5, 2GIS, ivi, Wink, HeadHunter, Litres, CYAN, Lamoda, Magnit Market, and All Instruments.<url>", "Gismeteo", "Rambler", "Lemana Pro", "Tutu", "Vkusville" and "Lenta".
By April 15, these digital platforms began to restrict access for users with blocking circumvention tools enabled, Izvestia found. At the same time, the actual list of companies that have implemented such measures turned out to be broader and includes, in particular, Mosenergosbyt and Neftmagistral, which are not directly related to the IT sector.
It turned out that some had previously registered separate law firms to provide IT services. For example, DM-Tech, a subsidiary of Detsky Mir, and JEE Tektim, the structure of the Golden Apple store chain.
— It is difficult for businesses without tax benefits now, therefore, legal entities with IT preferences significantly help operational activities, as well as being on the "white lists". No one is ready to risk them. Many people prepared in advance for possible requirements from regulators and, among other things, registered IT departments for this purpose," said Vadim Popov, a member of the Russian Association of Political Consultants.
He explained that the sites began not only to record the use of VPNs, but also to limit functionality: in some cases, sites completely stop opening, in others they slow down, block authorization, payment or order processing. At the same time, the services began publishing recommendations, such as disabling lock—bypass tools before logging into your personal account or making purchases. Previously, applications were limited to notifying that the user uses alternative connection methods, but now almost all resources do not allow them to use their functions.
One of the taxi aggregators, for example, suggests "trying again," and Ozon recommends that users disable the VPN, restart the router, or switch to a mobile network. Vkusville has also started providing the page with instructions indicating the phone number of the store's hotline. In the Whoosh service, the editorial staff reported that in case of Internet failures and technical problems, they made renting an electric scooter available without a mobile connection.
—We have informed Wildberries users that when using a VPN, the operation of the mobile application may be difficult," the RWB press service told Izvestia.
The editors have sent requests to the above companies and services.
According to users on social networks, many of them for the first time faced restrictions in the work of state services: in some cases, websites for housing and communal services, portals of public services and other related resources do not open.
Market sources emphasize that the platforms have had technical capabilities to identify alternative workarounds before.
— Any large platform in Russia can indirectly identify such a connection by IP addresses, traffic behavior, and routing anomalies. The question has always been not about the possibility, but whether to put it into practice," notes Izvestia's source in the telecom market.
According to him, the key factor was the tightening of requirements for IT companies.: The services were required to independently identify and restrict the use of VPNs, and in case of non-compliance, they risk losing their IT accreditation. As a result, the largest market players have synchronously implemented the appropriate mechanisms.
— Interestingly, even companies that are not included in the register of accredited IT companies, such as Neftmagistral, which owns the Karavaev Brothers network, listened to the recommendations of regulators. This may indicate that the methodological recommendations were distributed more widely than the IT sector," the source explained to Izvestia.
Implications for users and businesses
Experts emphasize that for the platforms themselves, this is not only a matter of regulation, but also business logic.
— This is an absolutely expected story. Marketplaces and digital services are not about Internet freedom, but about transactions, risks, and compliance. Any anonymization of traffic creates blind spots for them.: These are potential fraudulent transactions and price manipulation. Therefore, restrictions are not a fight against users, but risk management," explained Mikhail Shurygin, chairman of the ROCIT Commission on Cloud Technologies and Information Security.
He added that as the market develops, such measures become an industry standard, comparable to the practices of the banking sector, where the level of control is traditionally higher.
At the same time, for VPN users, the changes are already becoming applied: not only individual sites are no longer working, but also basic services of daily demand — from paying for housing and communal services to ordering a taxi and food delivery. In some cases, the functionality remains, but access becomes unstable and requires additional actions. In such conditions, a person using alternative access methods is faced not with a ban, but with a complication of access, said a source of Izvestia in the telecom market.
— For businesses, changes are systemic in nature and affect almost the entire market, regardless of the industry. Companies are forced to adapt in advance to a possible tightening of requirements. We are talking about restructuring processes, investing in backup solutions and creating an infrastructure capable of operating under constraints," another source told the editorial board.
According to him, the restrictions will affect the financial sector, where it may be difficult to conduct individual operations, and e—commerce, where users outside the country may lose access to marketplaces, as well as face changes in logistics, the source said.
— Filtering technologies are being updated, and VPN access will become more difficult. But it is important to understand that there are no plans for mass disconnection of users from the Network. Against this background, it makes sense to use domestic solutions such as YandexGPT, GigaChat and Kandinsky," says political scientist Vadim Popov.
Izvestia sent requests to the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Roskomnadzor.
At the same time, experts warn of the risk of rising costs for users and businesses: increased restrictions may lead to a situation in which access to technology will become not only more difficult, but also more expensive.
— Already, a significant part of the professional environment is working with foreign services via VPN. If access to them is built through special channels or operators, it will become paid. At the same time, the resources themselves are already working by subscription. As a result, the user finds himself in a situation of double payment: first for access, then for the tool itself. Such a model is unlikely to be in demand en masse, especially among small businesses, developers and specialists," said political scientist Elena Shtulman.
What has Runet become like after the new rules
The massive use of VPNs creates serious problems for both users and digital businesses, added ROCIT expert Oleg Kapranov.
— A significant part of the key metrics — from recommendation systems to online advertising - is based on user data, which is distorted when using a VPN. As a result, services face incorrect analytics: for example, the audience of local services can be defined as located abroad, which directly affects the effectiveness of marketing and the quality of services provided," he explained.
According to him, even without additional regulatory pressure, businesses will increasingly encourage users to abandon the means of distorting IP addresses when interacting with digital services.
Users are adapting to the "new digital normality," and according to Roman Permyakov, head of the G.U.R.U. analytical center, this trend is likely to intensify. He believes that in the near future, the situation will come to a certain balance between efforts to block and distribute means of circumventing them, after which it will be possible to talk about stable trends. At the same time, according to him, it is natural that users are not ready to change their usual consumption patterns — neither media nor digital services. Many are willing to incur additional costs and put up with technical inconveniences in order to maintain access to familiar platforms.
People retain access to familiar services, but it is becoming more fragmented, requiring additional actions and greater technical literacy. Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, noted that it will never be the same on the Runet.
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