tech
The Kremlin fears VPNs more than Ukrainian drones
Major banks across Russia on Friday reported major service breakdowns. Their apps crashed, ATMs stopped working, and other capabilities collapsed. The outages caused major complications in everyday life and the economy: Public transport had to stop collecting fares, while some businesses switched to cash-only operations.
TL;DR
- Russia's attempt to block VPNs has led to major service breakdowns in banks, including app crashes and ATM failures.
- These outages have caused significant economic and daily life complications, with public transport and businesses affected.
- The Russian government is intensifying its crackdown on VPNs and messaging apps like Telegram, viewing unfettered internet access as a threat to regime security.
- Past attempts to block services like Telegram have failed, and Western apps remain popular despite bans, largely due to VPN usage.
- The government's heavy-handed approach and promotion of a state-controlled app (Max) have been met with public distrust due to surveillance concerns and poor functionality.
- Critics argue that the Kremlin's fear of its citizens is driving its censorship efforts, and that attempts to clamp down may inadvertently fuel unrest.