Russia now stands ready to disconnect from the internet.
A law went into effect on Friday giving Russia the power to disconnect from the global internet in the event of a cyberwar, PC Magazine is reporting. In the interim, internet users in the country would have access to a walled-off version sanctioned by the Russian government, according to the magazine.
Web users trying to reach international sites would be automatically directed to Russia versions of those sites.
China has been pouring money into restricting web access since 1996, but PC Magazine said it is still not completely airtight. And the magazine noted it is unlikely Russia will be able to match the same type of control China has over internet access right away.
"One of the major benefits about the internet is [its] cross-border trade mechanism, and Russia won't be able to replicate every single service that is provided by non-Russian companies," said Alex Henthorn-Iwane, vice president for network monitoring company ThousandEyes.
"If China allows Western companies to use SAAS (software as a service) tools, that tells you it's not realistic. Office 365, or Salesforce, I would imagine they're going to have to keep open if they want to attract foreign direct investment."
Restricting access also raises the issue of cybersecurity. the magazine noted.
"You could have a cross-border cell phone to get on the internal internet of the country," Henthorn-Iwane said.
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