Understanding the Ban
So, Russia decided that it didn’t like encrypted messaging app Telegram and dropped the ban hammer. On April 16, the telecommunications watchdog, Roskomnadzor (RKN), thought it was on to something big. Blocking around 20 million Google and Amazon IP addresses seemed like a solid plan, right? Well, apparently not, as users reported that Telegram was still working just fine—talk about a swing and a miss!
The Ripple Effect
However, the side effects of an ambitious but miscalculated plan were evident and not pretty. Viber users felt the brunt of this IP-pocalypse, experiencing connectivity issues galore. Maybe the next time RKN considers blocking services, they might want to think it through first—after all, who wants to poke the bear and wake up a slew of angry, confused internet users?
Crash, Bang, Boom!
Local media outlets started chiming in on the chaos, reporting that users were facing crashes across various platforms, from gaming networks like PlayStation Network to streaming giants Netflix and Twitch. So, if you were hoping for a cozy night of binge-watching your favorite series, you might have had to settle for watching paint dry instead. RKN’s grand plan was inadvertently creating a digital tornado, and nobody wanted to be caught in its winds.
A Deafening Silence
Despite the upheaval, RKN held its ground, claiming, “Nah, not us!” when it came to the spate of complaints rolling in from businesses. Yes, it’s true that some services faced serious financial losses—Skyeng, an online school, was staring down the barrel of a 30 million ruble loss (that’s nearly $480,000 in case you’re wondering, or about 1,200 bags of flour, depending on your bread-making ambitions).
Edward Snowden Weighs In
Enter Edward Snowden, stage left, with his well-timed tweet expressing outrage and likening RKN’s methods to clumsy censorship. It was a classic case of the not-so-surprising defender of user rights calling out authority figures and their questionable choices. His take? Well, let’s just say he was hardly impressed.
The Resistance Rises
Meanwhile, Telegram’s maestro, Pavel Durov, was not about to go down without a fight. Man of the hour (or possibly the century?), he made it clear he was willing to throw some Bitcoin into the ring to keep the fight against censorship alive. Talk about financial commitment to digital freedom! One could say he’s really putting his money where his mouth is—or should we say, his computer keyboard?
What Lies Ahead?
The entire debacle leaves us with more questions than answers. Will RKN rethink its strategy, or double down? Will Viber users ever be able to make a call without a hitch? And importantly, will anyone find out how many bags of flour one could buy with 30 million rubles? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure: the fight for digital freedom is far from over.
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