Ban On Facebook And Instagram And Hacking Increases VPN Use In Russia And Ukraine

VPN usage is on the rise in Russia and Ukraine. (photo; doc. pixabay)

JAKARTA – As Russia blocked access to Meta Platforms Inc.'s flagship social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, demand from internet users in the country for tools to circumvent restrictions skyrocketed. Top10VPN, a monitoring company for VPN (virtual private network) service providers, reported this increase.

Access to Instagram in Russia was cut off from Monday, March 14, in response to Meta's decision last week to allow social media users in Ukraine to post hate speech messages for Russia. Even before, Facebook was banned in Russia for restricting access to the red bear country's media on the social media platform.

According to a Reuters report, ahead of the Instagram ban, requests for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that encrypt data and obfuscate users' locations jumped 2.088% higher than the average daily demand in mid-February. The data on the increase in users was first reported by the monitoring company Top10VPN.

Russia has been the target of unprecedented western sanctions for its actions in Ukraine. They are also struggling to control the flow of information. Moscow has also crippled foreign social media companies by throttling traffic or access. In the case of Facebook and Instagram, they even outright ban access in Russia.

Demand for VPNs has increased in the region as Russian and Ukrainian websites have also been victims of cyberattacks. The use of a VPN is one way to secure users from hacking attempts.

Russia itself already banned several VPN providers last year. But failed to block them completely. The ban is part of a wider campaign that critics say is stifling internet freedom in the country.

Top10VPN's data analysis of more than 6,000 entries to the central registry of websites blocked in Russia found that 203 news sites and 97 foreign exchange and crypto sites are currently blocked in Russia.

State communications regulator Roskomnadzor on Monday, March 14, said the number of cyberattacks against IT systems and government infrastructure had sharply increased since February 24. It warns perpetrators that cyberattacks can lead to criminal consequences.