For the first time, Alexander Zharov, the head of Roskomnadzor (Russia's state media watchdog), floated the prospect of blocking mobile apps sold through Apple's AppStore and Google Play. Speaking to a group about copyright law earlier today, Zharov proposed the formation of a working group to review the possibility of blocking mobile applications.
Boris Edidin, who heads Roskomnadzor's legal department, explained that more and more Internet traffic is traveling through mobile apps. Today, Edidin says, the government has no way of tracking or searching for pirated content in Apple's or Google's app stores. For this reason, he says, the state and the Internet industry must develop the appropriate mechanisms to make such monitoring possible.
Edidin also warned that officials need to began combatting the promotion of ways to bypass Internet censorship. “These [propaganda efforts] are anti-social actions, and it's necessary to develop a mechanism to counter such resources,” he added.
According to the newspaper Izvestia, there are currently 1,433 Web addresses and 505 Web resources listed on Russia's registry of banned online information. Russia has never before blocked a mobile app.