The occupation of Runet? The tightening state regulation of the Russian-language section of the internet

Abstract

The occupation of Runet? The tightening state regulation of the Russian-language section of the Internet Language-revised version,

Digital Activism in Russia: The Evolution and Forms of Online Participation in an Authoritarian State

“…In 2019, with the Russian state continuously introducing new constraints on freedom of expression, online participation in Russia has become risky (Lonkila et al 2020). As a consequence, many activists have ceased to participate in online discussions, many have moved to social media platforms based outside Russia, such as Twitter or Facebook, and others have opted for emigration.…”

“…Second, we illustrate communicative and technoactivism based on two case studies. The two cases are selected because we consider them to be among the most prominent and successful campaigns so far in a struggle against the Russian state's "occupation" of Runet (Lonkila et al 2020). The first case is an example of communicative activism conducted by Alexei Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation and the second an example of technoactivism conducted by the Telegram messenger service.…”

“…The magnitude of the opposition mass protests in fall 2011, that erupted in response to the falsification of the results of the parliamentary elections and swapping of chairs by Putin and Medvedev, 1 came as a surprise to protesters and the Kremlin alike, which for the first time felt the political force of social media. The years 2011-2018 were marked by an intensive, state-led campaign to regulate Runet and curtail freedom of expression, which we have dubbed the "occupation of Runet" (Lonkila et al 2020; for more, also see Chaps. 5 and 2).…”

The Digitalization of Russian Politics and Political Participation

“…A closer look at two campaigns run by Alexei Navalny-for the 2013 Moscow mayoral elections and 2018 presidential elections-demonstrates this well. As is argued by Renira Gambarato and Sergei Medvedev (2015), Navalny's mayoral campaign (which build upon the 2011-2012 protest movement; see Lonkila et al 2020) introduced a new form of political campaigning in Russia that was more grassroots (e.g. through online fundraising) and characterized by the use of transmedia strategies.…”

Selling internet control: the framing of the Russian ban of messaging app Telegram

“…Against the backdrop of a global trend towards increased governmental control over the internet, this article investigates internet policy legitimation on the example of Russia. The Russian government has instrumentalized ostensibly sound legitimations countering terrorist and extremist propaganda, combatting child pornographyto bring about a dramatic decline in internet freedom since 2012, enacting extensive infringements upon the freedom of speech, the right to information and privacy (Author, 2020a;Lonkila et al, 2020;Sherstoboeva, 2020). This expanding body of legislation and regulatory practices has been widely studied (Author, 2021;Nocetti, 2015;Sivetc, 2020;Soldatov, 2019), along with the Russian government's perspective on cybersecurity (Claessen, 2020;Pigman, 2019) and online privacy (Lokot, 2020), as well as the consequences of its internet policy for citizens, political opposition and activists (Van der Vet, 2020).…”