Sovereign Internet Bill

Shashank Raj Gupta

Question: Which country passed the Sovereign Internet Bill to create an independent internet in the country?
(a) United Arab Emirates
(b) Saudi Arabia
(c) North Korea
(d) Russia
Answer: (d)
Related facts:

  • Russia President Vladimir Putin signed into law a sovereign internet bill on May 1,2019. This law will allow Russian authorities to isolate the country’s internet.
  • Russia made this move to ensure the security of its networks after US President Donald Trump unveiled a new American cyber security strategy last year that said Russia had carried out cyber attacks with impunity.

Sovereign Internet law:

  • This law would enable the creation of a national network which can be operated separately from the rest of the world. For now, the network remains largely theoretical though with few practical details disclosed.
  • This new law aims to protect Russia from foreign online restrictions by creating what the Kremlin calls a “sustainable, secure and fully functioning” local internet.
  • The legislation takes effect in November 2019.
  • The law will be creating a monitoring and a management center.
  • It will be supervised by Russia’s telecoms agency Roskomnadzor.
  • The state agency will be charged with ensuring the availability of communication services in Russia in extraordinary situations. It would also be empowered to cut off external traffic exchange and creating a purely Russian web.
  • The information from state entities and state-owned enterprises on the Internet will be protected via encryption.

Reaction on this law:

  • Internet in Russia has faced restrictions in the past. There has been a greater domestic censorship in recent years.
  • An independent Russian internet would involve the creation of a Chinese-style national firewall to monitor and censor content passing in and out of the country fearing the activists and right groups in Russia.
  • This can also lead to severe privacy violation and will allow for greater surveillance by Russian intelligence agencies, and the ability of state authorities to control information.
  • Russian authorities have blocked online sites and content linked to the opposition in the recent times including the Dailymotion video platform, the Linkedin online social networking site and the encrypted messaging app Telegram.

Links:
http://www.newsonair.com/News?title=Russia-President-Vladimir-Putin-signs-into-law-a-sovereign-internet-bill&id=362890
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/01/europe/vladimir-putin-russian-independent-internet-intl/index.html
https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/putin-signs-controversial-internet-law-119050200041_1.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-signs-sovereign-internet-law-expanding-government-control-of-internet/29915008.html