In July 2017, the Kremlin introduced fresh restrictions on Internet use as part of what observers say is an ongoing campaign to centralize control over Russia’s segment of the web.

“Additionally, the new requirements are relevant to VPN use only in Russian territory and do not concern users in other countries,” it said. “At the same time, Roskomnadzor requirements don’t affect the main purpose of Kaspersky Secure Connection, which protects user privacy and ensures confidentiality and protection against data interception, for example, when using open WiFi networks, making online payments at cafes, airports or hotels,” the company said in an e-mail. Responding to a request for comment, Kaspersky said that it “complies with the laws of all the countries where it operates, including Russia.” Other users attempting to access blacklisted content reported seeing a message from the government regulator, Roskomnadzor, that links to a searchable version of the state register on banned websites.

The user added that the VPN “logs everything” by recording a list of websites visited by the service. “It simply says the page doesn’t exist,” Roskomsvoboda cited one user as saying. Roskomsvoboda, an organization that monitors online censorship in Russia, said on July 1 that it had received e-mails from several users of Kaspersky’s service. Users of the Kaspersky Secure Connection VPN, sold by Moscow-based IT company Kaspersky Lab, have reported that sites blocked on Russian territory are no longer accessible. MOSCOW - A Russian cybersecurity company has become the latest to comply with controversial government legislation on Internet freedoms, according to a watchdog group and VPN users who say they have been denied access to websites blacklisted by the state communications regulator.

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