Marchingontogether
TK Veteran
Putin said the words that mean he aims to break up the global nature of the worldwide web: he just branded the network a “CIA project” during a media conference in St Petersburg. Russian president believes that the US overseas espionage agency had originally set up the Internet and is still developing it.
Indeed, Vladimir Putin has long hinted that he wanted a Russian-run alternative to the Internet. He wasn’t the only one to want that, though – the idea has gained ground in Germany, Brazil and other countries in the light of the revelations by Edward Snowden (who remains in Putin’s country and under his protection, by the way) about the extent to which the NSA has infiltrated popular social media.
During a recent national Q&A session, Putin batted away a question from Edward Snowden about whether Russia also uses such surveillance practice, as the US did. Putin said he hopes they don’t do that as Russia doesn’t have as much money as they do in the United States. He did acknowledge though that there was surveillance of criminals and potential terrorists. However, as a former head of the country’s FBI, he should have known the things better than just saying “I hope we don’t”.
Of course, in any country a local system could make it easier for the domestic intelligence services to monitor and control traffic. For example, the worldwide Internet offers a platform for Russian opposition groups denied a voice on the local television and radio. Examples are everywhere: the mayor of the Russia’s 4th largest city, Yekaterinburg, had to win the election with the help of online propaganda only, as they didn’t allow him a minute on the air and on TV, or a line in newspapers – in clear violation of all the laws. This is another story – a love story, by the way, and not between the mayor and the city, – but we are talking about Internet here. At the same media conference in St Petersburg, Russian president referred directly to the most popular local search engine, Yandex, which caused its shares to plummet. He claimed the “CIA project” keeps developing and that his citizens needed to be protected from it. It seems that his remarks corresponded with a law passed by the local Parliament last week requiring foreign social media sites to keep their servers in Russia and store all data about the users for at least 6 months.
In the meantime, the founder of the most popular social network in the country was forced out of the company and revealed that the network is controlled by business executives close to Putin now. Apparently, Russian president is everywhere, not just Ukraine, these days.
Indeed, Vladimir Putin has long hinted that he wanted a Russian-run alternative to the Internet. He wasn’t the only one to want that, though – the idea has gained ground in Germany, Brazil and other countries in the light of the revelations by Edward Snowden (who remains in Putin’s country and under his protection, by the way) about the extent to which the NSA has infiltrated popular social media.
During a recent national Q&A session, Putin batted away a question from Edward Snowden about whether Russia also uses such surveillance practice, as the US did. Putin said he hopes they don’t do that as Russia doesn’t have as much money as they do in the United States. He did acknowledge though that there was surveillance of criminals and potential terrorists. However, as a former head of the country’s FBI, he should have known the things better than just saying “I hope we don’t”.
Of course, in any country a local system could make it easier for the domestic intelligence services to monitor and control traffic. For example, the worldwide Internet offers a platform for Russian opposition groups denied a voice on the local television and radio. Examples are everywhere: the mayor of the Russia’s 4th largest city, Yekaterinburg, had to win the election with the help of online propaganda only, as they didn’t allow him a minute on the air and on TV, or a line in newspapers – in clear violation of all the laws. This is another story – a love story, by the way, and not between the mayor and the city, – but we are talking about Internet here. At the same media conference in St Petersburg, Russian president referred directly to the most popular local search engine, Yandex, which caused its shares to plummet. He claimed the “CIA project” keeps developing and that his citizens needed to be protected from it. It seems that his remarks corresponded with a law passed by the local Parliament last week requiring foreign social media sites to keep their servers in Russia and store all data about the users for at least 6 months.
In the meantime, the founder of the most popular social network in the country was forced out of the company and revealed that the network is controlled by business executives close to Putin now. Apparently, Russian president is everywhere, not just Ukraine, these days.