A law coming into force on Wednesday will give the Kremlin greater control over what Russians can access online before the presidential election next March.
Providers of virtual private networks (VPNs), which let internet users access sites banned in a country by making it appear that they are browsing from abroad, will be required to block websites listed by the Russian state communications watchdog.
The law is the latest in a raft of restrictions introduced by President Vladimir Putin’s government, even though several VPN providers have said they will not comply.
“[People] who are using this to put out messages anonymously will be affected,” Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the US-based Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Even if they can work around the new restrictions, the law will send a powerful message to activists, she said.
The law is likely to be selectively applied and will probably not affect foreign businesspeople using company VPNs, she said.