MOSCOW: Thousands rallied Monday in Moscow in support of internet freedom after Russian authorities tried to block access to the popular messaging app Telegram in the latest onslaught against dissent under Vladimir Putin. “Big moron is not blocking you“, read one sign making light of the botched effort by authorities to block the messaging service. Roskomnadzor has failed to fully block Telegram, with Russians turning to VPNs and proxies to bypass the ban. But over the past months the authorities have moved in on the Russian internet, with the telecoms watchdog saying Facebook could also be blocked if it did not comply with local legislation. A 2014 law requiring foreign messaging services, search engines and social networking sites to store the personal data of Russian users inside the country has caused widespread concern.

Source: New Strait Times April 30, 2018 13:41 UTC