Russia tries to whack another mole in its internet censorship quest
It has started blocking DoH and DoT privacy protocols.
The Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. Photo by Contributor/Getty Images
- Russian regulators are reportedly blocking DoH and DoT, two protocols that help hide browsing activity.
- Reports say Google and Cloudflare encrypted DNS services are among the targets.
- Roskomnadzor has not commented, but local sources say the block is already active.
- Users may switch encrypted DNS providers or route DNS through a VPN, but unencrypted DNS reduces privacy.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Multiple reports from Russia indicate that local regulators have begun blocking additional workarounds people use to protect their privacy while browsing the internet.
This time, Roskomnadzor, or the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, is suspected of having started blocking DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) and DNS-over-TLS (DoT) servers. Specifically, Google and Cloudflare IPs/services are being targeted.
DoH and DoT are used by internet users to protect their privacy, as these protocols help hide information from internet service providers about the sites they visit, which can be used against citizens. Usually, these solutions are used in combination with VPNs.
Now, the Russian Telegram channel BypassBlock claims that multiple sources across the country confirm that the block has been implemented. Other local media reports also confirm this. As usual, Roskomnadzor has not commented on the block.
According to Risky Bulletin, the regulator may have tested the block on the Beeline network in March this year. Back then, the internet service provider officially denied the block. Also, the agency had already attempted to block DoH in 2021.
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Meanwhile, Multihop VPN says that this month, state censorship implementers have shifted from filtering specific protocols to blocking at the infrastructure level, including encrypted DNS, hosting subnets, and regional connectivity. It is also estimated that the "whitelist-first" internet is now going to be the norm, not a temporary block.
With the latest DoH and DoT block, internet users can switch to a different encrypted DNS provider. Another possible solution might be routing DNS through a VPN. Using unencrypted DNS will restore basic connectivity, but you'd lose your privacy.
In either case, as regulators keep targeting more and more censorship workarounds, developers keep developing new ones that could offer better censorship resistance, including decentralized VPNs.
