Russia's law that bans the use or provision of virtual private networks (VPNs), censorship circumvention software and other so-called 'anonymizers' came into effect today.
VPNs — which let internet users access sites banned in one country by making it appear that they are browsing from abroad — will be required to block websites listed by the Russian state communications watchdog. Companies that do not comply are likely to see their own websites placed on the lacklist.
The law was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 29 and was justified as a necessary measure to prevent the spread of extremism online.
