Russia’s censor body, Roskomnadzor, wants to block 92% of VPN apps by 2030 — and it’s investing 20 billion rubles a year to build a permanent VPN censorship system

The Russian media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has set an ambitious and alarming goal: to block 92% of all Virtual Private Network (VPN) services operating within the country by 2030. Here’s all we know.
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Proton, Tor, Mullvad, ExpressVPN, and Mozilla among the 19 organizations urging the UK government ‘not to undermine the open web’ as Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill becomes law — a move that could ‘infringe human rights’

The Act introduces new online restrictions for young people, alongside an obligation for service providers to take “reasonable anti-circumvention measures.” Here’s why privacy raises the alarm.
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Russia orders Apple and Google to remove Important Stories, an investigative media app that works without a VPN — leaving Russians without a key source for accessing uncensored news

Important Stories launched the IStories mobile app in February to make sure information would reach Russians despite widespread internet censorship and VPN restrictions.
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From ‘encryption backdoor’ to ‘lawful access’ — is a compromise between privacy, security, and law enforcement needs actually possible?

After ongoing attempts in Europe, Canada is the latest country pushing for “lawful access” to data for law enforcement. This, despite cybersecurity experts warning that breaking encryption would threaten everyone’s privacy…

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‘A technical whack-a-mole:’ Utah to become the first US state to target VPN users with controversial age verification law — and digital rights experts are furious

Utah is set to become the first US state to penalize websites for failing to verify the age of users who mask their location with a VPN, sparking outrage from digital privacy experts.
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‘VPNs must make reasonable efforts’ — India orders VPNs to block access to Polymarket and other banned betting platforms or lose ‘safe harbour’ protections

India’s IT Ministry has issued a stern warning to VPN providers: block access to banned betting platforms like Polymarket, or risk losing crucial legal protections.
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‘The first releases will begin very, very soon’: How to access UFO and alien files anonymously as President Trump hints at ‘tremendous interest’ in the soon-to-be-released and previously classified US records on extraterrestrial life

President Trump has suggested there’s ‘tremendous interest’ in the soon-to-be-released alien files. So how can you access them? And, more, importantly, how can you access them without leaving your data open to prying eyes?…

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Support global journalism and get a free NordVPN subscription — here’s how

Internews has launched the “One Donation. Online Protection. Real Impact.” campaign, rewarding supporters who give £35 to protect press freedom with a 6-month NordVPN subscription.
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‘VPNs have adapted’: How BlancVPN and VPN Liberty are dodging Russia’s VPN blocking technology to allow Russians access to Telegram without losing everyday services

While the Kremlin’s fight against VPN usage reached new heights, the tech seems to keep outsmarting the politics — for now, at least. And these are the best performing VPNs in Russia right now.
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Apple removes AdGuard’s TrustTunnel from Russian App Store amid censorship push

AdGuard’s TrustTunnel app lacks built-in bypass features but was still targeted by regulators. Here’s all we know.

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