Media regulator declares Russia won’t fine VPN consumers

(MENAFN) Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has clarified that it does not intend to fine individuals for using Virtual Private Network (VPN) services to access banned websites. The technology allows users to securely bypass internet restrictions by hiding their IP addresses and circumventing firewalls.

Earlier in the month, Roskomnadzor proposed a draft order that could compel telecom operators to share data on users attempting to access blocked sites via VPNs. Reports suggested that this could lead to fines for VPN users, but Roskomnadzor denied this, calling such claims a "gross error" and insisting that its draft order does not target VPN users directly.

While Roskomnadzor acknowledged its ability to monitor VPN usage, it emphasized that it had no plans to fine users, and the proposal could be challenging to implement due to difficulties in distinguishing legal from illegal VPN use. This clarification comes amid ongoing debates in Russia about the regulation of VPN services, particularly following the country’s restrictions on foreign media websites. Despite the regulatory measures, VPNs remain widely used in Russia to access blocked platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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