MOSCOW - Russia carried out tests on Monday to ensure the"security" of its Internet infrastructure in case of a foreign cyber attack as part of measures that rights activists worry could also tighten censorship and lead to online isolation.
The law, which President Vladimir Putin signed in May, requires Russian Internet providers to install equipment provided by the authorities to enable centralised control of data traffic.At his annual news conference last week, Mr Putin defended Russia's Internet policies, promising that the country was not"moving towards closing off the Internet".The internet is the country's main forum for political debate and opposing voices as well as coordinating opposition demonstrations.
Supporters of the legislation say the aim is to ensure Russian sites keep working if they are unable to connect to international servers or in the case of threats from abroad such as cyber attacks.