Russia to spend $660 million to strengthen its Internet censorship infrastructure: Report

Russia to spend 0 million to strengthen its Internet censorship infrastructure: Report

Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development plans to spend nearly 60 billion roubles ($660 million) over the next five years to enhance its Internet censorship system known as Technical Measures to Combat Threats (TSPU), reports Reuters citing Forbes Russia. The goal is seemingly to strengthen tools that block virtual private networks (VPNs) and restrict access to content deemed illegal or restricted by the Russian government.

TSPU blocks VPNs and websites

Russia’s homegrown TSPU system uses deep packet inpsection (DPI) to monitor and block access to services and websites that the Russian government considers harmful. The TSPU can be activated by various types of traffic, including IP-based, SNI-based (Server Name Indication), and QUIC-based (Quick UDP Internet Connection), resulting in six distinct blocking mechanisms. The TSPU system, is controlled by Roskomnadzor, a government agency responsible for blocking services (such as the Telegram messenger) and websites.  

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