Russia has blocked a US-based internet speed-measuring tool, Speedtest, recently, citing threats to Russia’s internet security.
According to Roskomnadzor (RKN), Russia’s communications watchdog, the Speedtest by Ookla poses a threat to the internet in Russia because it allows the analysis of the connection speed and latency. And it is said that this data is crucial for remotely piloted attacker drones.
Access to Speedtest has been restricted in accordance with a 2020 decree “due to identified threats to the security of public communications network operation and the Russian segment of the internet.”
Russians are advised to use trusted Russian services called ProSet, or ProNet in English, which perform similar online speed and signal strength tests. Reportedly, Russia’s government was increasing its technological capacities and control over the country’s internet infrastructure, allowing for more widespread blocking and throttling of unwanted websites and censorship circumvention tools.
It is also revealed that lawmakers have approved a new tax that tightens censorship and could have sweeping ramifications for digital privacy, with Russians facing fines if they search online for content Moscow considers extremist. Moscow has already blocked social networks like Instagram and Facebook, sought to slow down the speed of YouTube, and has told WhatsApp to prepare to leave the Russian market, with a new state-controlled messaging app, MAX, set to fill the gap.
Ookla has, till now, not commented anything officially regarding the blockage of its Speedtest service in Russia.
