Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media is currently working on writing up a new law which would change some usage rules for users within Russian territory. The new rules would specifically target protocols that in one way or another mask the website’s name into an encrypted code. Many protocols are currently doing just that, such as HTTPS, ESNI, TLS etc.

Chinese authorities have had major success in controlling the traffic that comes in and out in terms of geographical distribution. However, there is no question about how complicated these limitations can be to the end-user. Having worldwide compatible standards allow for nearly every modern device to connect to the Internet in whichever country one tries. When there are protocols being blocked by the authorities, you literally need to have a country specific device (hardware enabled) to work as expected. Compatibility at a deeper level, such as making calls or sending messages in between incompatible devices would also come in question.

Both Chinese and Russian authorities have been very vocal in expressing their intentions towards information control and establishing laws that would enforce these intentions. Regardless, controlling the Internet and limiting specific protocols needs to be done with upmost care and long term planning, as most of these have been deeply embedded in the networking infrastructure.

Source: Slate.com

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