Online Services Blocked in Russia: Facebook, Twitter – Who’s Next?

Russia starts to implement the new iron curtain. As its invasion in Ukraine does not go as smoothly as planned, and information starts to break through despite state censorship, Russian authorities opt for banning social media. Facebook became the first, Twitter followed, and this won’t stop that easily.

 As Facebook restricted access to state-controlled Russian channels RT and Sputnik which spread the official information from Russian authorities, the authorities responded with a threat to block Facebook. So, on February 28, Facebook was blocked in Russia. As for Instagram and WhatsApp, they were not, despite being Meta products as well.

 Access to Twitter was also partially restricted in Russia. This “partiality” means limited download speed, so media materials take much longer to load, and sometimes won’t at all. The formal reason for it was not articulated, but the fact of restriction was noticed by NetBlocks almost immediately.

It’s not the first time that Russia blocks a social media popular worldwide. Two years ago, Roskomnadzor (the Russian censorship agency) tried to ban Telegram but didn’t succeed technically. Prior to that. LinkedIn was banned for its refusal to store user data in Russian jurisdiction.

 Given that immediately after the war started severe restrictions were imposed on Russian media (for example, it was prohibited to use any information except for official, that is, effectively Russia criminalized journalism), alternative sources have to be banned before they break through disbelief. So, Instagram, YouTube, and other global social media may soon be officially banned. As for technical implementation, though, there are serious doubts.

 Do you think the Russian Info Curtain will be as strong as the Chinese Great Firewall? Is it a sign of the next Cold War, or will it all end up sooner? If you are into predictions, share yours in the comments!