The Irrepressible Rise of the Runet

... established over the internet in order to prevent instability.8 As of August 2014, bloggers with a readership of over three thousand must register with the media oversight agency Roskomnadzor.9 The government also employs mass surveillance of online communications. However, it is important to place Russian internet laws in perspective; before 2012 the Runet was remarkably free of control, and new laws being established are not significantly more concerning than the mass-data collection and online smear tactics adopted by Western nations.10 We are unlikely,...