Aliaksandr Herasimenka interviewed about Russia’s plans to set-up a ‘sovereign internet’

CAMRI Doctoral Researcher, Aliaksandr Herasimenka, has been interviewed by The Express about Russia’s plans to set-up a ‘sovereign internet’. The story, by Katie Sewell, reports that President Vladimir Putin had signed a bill which would allow the government to instantly remove internet servers from the World Wide Web. Suggesting that by creating an exclusively Russian domain system, the Kremlin will effectively have the means of restricting people’s ability to organise protests and voice their dissent over the Government.

In the article, Herasimenka, stated that “the new legislature aims at a more institutionalised type of censorship, so every bit of information ever sent through in Russia can be potentially examined by the special service and, if needed, censored”. He went on to raise concerns that “people will suffer from these new censorship and surveillance measures”. These measures he believes will see “political censorship and self-censorship will grow online”, resulting in many more ordinary people trying to hide their names when using the internet.

The full article can be read on the Express website.

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