Russia’s Digital Development Ministry considers limiting foreign internet traffic for Russian users

Russia’s Digital Development Ministry is discussing a plan to route all traffic from foreign domains through the country’s internet traffic filtering system (TSPU) and limit its volume, Forbes Russia reported. Several sources — including officials at the ministry and people in the IT industry — told the outlet that the measures could be included in a bill overhauling the telecommunications sector.

The ministry is expected to gain the authority to restrict foreign traffic for Russian users once it exceeds a limit that has yet to be set. From an operator’s standpoint, VPN use looks like foreign traffic.

Industry representatives polled by Forbes Russia said determining which traffic is foreign will be difficult. “A Russian website hosted abroad would be classified as foreign, while a server rented in Russia would be classified as domestic,” said a technical expert at RKS Global.

The Digital Development Ministry announced that “these issues are currently being worked out, but it would be premature to say which of them, and in what form, will be included in the final version of the amendments.”

There have been repeated reports that the Digital Development Ministry wants to charge higher fees for foreign traffic.

Demand for VPNs in Russia has surged as authorities block popular social networks, services, and messaging apps. In response, Russian authorities have intensified their fight against means of circumventing the blocks. The budget for the next three years allocates a record 60 billion rubles for traffic filtering.