Effective September 1st, a new law has officially entered into force in Russia, imposing a ban on the advertisement of VPN services and other tools designed to circumvent blocked online resources. The corresponding legislative document has been made public on the official legal acts publication portal.
New Restrictions and Penalties Introduced
The new legislation specifically prohibits the “dissemination of advertising for software and hardware tools that provide access to information resources and telecommunication networks, access to which is restricted in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.”
Individuals found advertising VPNs or other methods for accessing prohibited websites will incur significant fines. Citizens will face penalties ranging from 50,000 to 80,000 rubles, while officials will be fined between 80,000 and 150,000 rubles. For legal entities, the fines are even higher, ranging from 200,000 to 500,000 rubles.
Penalties for Seeking Extremist Materials
In addition to advertising prohibitions, the law introduces penalties for the deliberate search of extremist materials from the federal list, including instances where VPNs are utilized for this purpose. Violators of this provision will face fines between 3,000 and 5,000 rubles.
Additional Legal Prohibitions
The law also stipulates fines for several other violations, including the unauthorized sharing of login credentials for internet resources with other individuals, the illegal transfer of subscriber numbers, and the use of virtual Private Branch Exchanges (PBXs) in circumvention of existing legal frameworks.
Context of Previous Legislation
Prior to this new law, the promotion of methods and means for accessing information resources and networks deemed prohibited in Russia, such as through VPNs, was exclusively governed by the “Law on Information, Information Technologies, and Information Protection.” This earlier statute specifically targeted the popularization of circumvention tools, rather than directly regulating the VPN services themselves.
