SPORTS · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Russia Cracks Down on 'White List' Sites
WHY IT MATTERS
This crackdown may limit access to banned content, but it also raises concerns about the potential for unrelated sites to be mistakenly added to the 'white lists' and later changed to carry prohibited content.
What happened
Russia's Digital Development Ministry is taking steps to prevent banned sites from using 'white lists' to remain accessible during mobile internet shutdowns. The ministry has asked hosting providers and web protection services to move the IP addresses of 'white list' resources into separate subnets.
This move aims to rule out the possibility of using IP addresses from the 'white list' by organizations without proper approval.
The 'white lists' first appeared in Russia in the fall of 2025 and are regularly updated by the Digital Development Ministry.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Russia’s Digital Development Ministry tries to crack down on banned sites masked in ‘white lists’
Meduza · Discovery only; publisher copyright terms apply