The Balkans of the Internet

The Internet is becoming a more secure and segmented element of national policies all over the world. Legislative bodies in many countries are trying to subject not only Internet infrastructure, but also its contents to their control. Such national initiatives provide new tools for controlling information and critical infrastructure to legislators and the government, though in terms of global consequences, they lead to the segmentation and balkanization of the Intermet.   

At the beginning of November 2016, the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation published proposed amendments to the law on communication that aim at increasing the monitoring, consistency, stability, and security of Russian Internet (RuNet) infrastructure. Should the law pass, Russian legislation will obtain a structured and agreed-upon definition of «critical infrastructure» for the Internet. If the amendments become operative, the Russian Internet will become more independent of international traffic, and the controlling authorities will have an opportunity to see the degree to which RuNet is integrated in the Internet and what risks it is exposed to.

The extent this is possible in reality and the way it will affect regular users are questions of time and the implementation of the amendments. The draft law suggests the creation of the State Information System that will become the RuNet monitoring body. It is possible that the creation of this mechanism will impose an additional load on Russian Internet service providers (ISP) in terms of data reporting to federal and regional authorities. Generally, such initiatives fit into the current Russian legislators’ policy trend of increasing Russian Internet segment control.

This legislative initiative might not have been surprising and didn't create a sensation, especially in the foreign media. However another political decision that is in full force and effect and provides a full set of policy tools to the government hasn’t remained unnoticed in the Western media. The UK Parliament has just passed the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, also known as The Snooper’s Charter, on its third attempt; it is the most extreme surveillance initiative ever, giving government security services the power to hack and monitor information online traffic. Being initiated and passed by the conservative government led by Theresa May, this law brings about a drastic regulatory mechanism of Internet traffic monitoring into action (an innocent typo could lead to an administrative penalty). In reality, this law violates the UK citizens’ right for the inviolability of the personal space and online privacy.  

REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

Though the government claims that only those who withhold something need to worry, this law «is the most extreme surveillance law ever passed in a democracy». The law forces internet service providers to keep a record of all the websites you visit for up to a year, and provide access upon demand to almost 50 assorted police forces and government departments. How to protect online history and guidelines to use VPN and Tor Browser are the top user search results among British Internet users.

This law is especially sensitive for UK citizens since it undermines the prestige of the world oldest democracy. This way akin laws will soon appear in the countries of the Old World — that’s just a question of time, while the Internet segmentation has already started.