Latest posts by Kevin Rothrock from April, 2014
The Kremlin’s Internet Annexation
For some reason, lawmakers in Russia today continue to add new powers to the state’s censorship utility-belt, as though the current panoply of Internet controls weren’t enough.
From Igor Sechin to Dick Cheney: the End of Russia's Zuckerberg
In February, Vkontakte's CEO joked in public that nothing would reverse Facebook’s “slow death.” What’s died instead, it seems, is Durov’s opposition to the world’s largest social network.
Ukrainian Artists Cage Russians Like Animals
A group of artists in Kiev has opened a new exhibit that many Russians are calling dangerously xenophobic. Yesterday, April 24, 2014, the “Ukrainian Cultural Front” presented four interactive installations intended to criticize Russia for its opposition to the EuroMaidan movement and its interventions in southeastern Ukraine. The most controversial...
How Dmitry Tymchuk Broke the Russian Blogosphere
Rather than acknowledge Moscow's role in promoting blogger Dmitry Tymchuk, some in Russia prefer to blame NATO. Life, after all, is simpler with your head in the sand.
So Long, Mr. Durov, and Thanks for All the Fish
After more than a year of rumors, the stockholders of Russia’s largest online social network, Vkontakte, have finally fired founder and CEO Pavel Durov.
Bad News & Worse News for Russian Internet Users
A Russian initiative to expand regulation over bloggers is still just a bill in the legislature, but it’s already harming the country's Internet freedom.
Uncle Sam's Ukraine Failure in Russia
The violence might be only starting, but an information war between Russia and the West has raged for months now.
Russia Intends to Clean Up “Internet Pollution”
The Russian government is drafting a new project that would redefine the “principles of state cultural policy.” In a concept paper shared with the press this week, a working group led by Sergei Ivanov, Putin's chief of staff, declared Russia's need to preserve its unique “state-civilization” and moral foundation in...
A Russian Gulag for American Social Networks’ Data?
A Moscow city councilman is promoting legislation that would require all online social networks to house users’ personal data on servers located on Russian soil.
Quantifying Russia's Traitorous Media
A pro-Kremlin website says it has conducted a quantitative study that ranks Russian media outlets according to disloyalty.
Vkontakte's Pavel Durov Departs: Genuine or Joke?
In what is either a bombshell for Russian social media or a daring April Fools' Day joke, Vkontakte general director Pavel Durov has announced his resignation.
