The Russian Federation blocked the speed test service Speedtest

The initiative was adopted within the framework of the “Sovereign Internet Act”

Speedtest, a service for checking Internet speed, has been blocked in Russia. Interfax and Kommersant reported this with reference to Roskomnadzor. The publications say that access to the service of the American company Ookla was limited due to “identified threats to the security of the communication network” and the Russian segment of the Internet.

Instead of Speedtest, the regulator recommends using the domestic analogue - the ProSet service. It was developed by Roskomnadzor structures a year ago.

As the department told CNews, the blocking was made in accordance with a government decree of 2020, which regulates the rules for centralized management of the public communications network.

The resolution itself was adopted in addition to the “sovereign Internet law” approved in 2019. In accordance with it, Roskomnadzor installs technical means to counter threats on the networks of telecom operators. As a result, telecom service providers can block user access to certain resources and control traffic routes.

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They wanted to block Speedtest last year

In October 2024, Izvestia, citing the supervisory agency, reported that Speedtest could be blocked if its use is considered dangerous to the stability, security and integrity of the Russian Internet.

The International Academy of Communications approached the State Duma with the initiative to block it. They claim that the developer of the Ookla service is closely connected with American intelligence agencies. Speedtest, according to the Russian side, collects information about communication networks, and then can use the obtained data for cyber attacks in any country.

The ban initiative was subsequently supported by the State Duma and the FSB.

At the end of 2023, a court in Moscow fined Ookla 6 million rubles for repeatedly refusing to localize data in Russia.

The American Speedtest service was launched in 2006.

The blocking occurred against the backdrop of massive mobile Internet outages in the country and interruptions in landline communications in the regions. Authorities explain the restrictions by security measures taken due to the war in Ukraine.

In 2024, Russian authorities restricted access to more than 417 thousand resources

As Vorstka previously reported, in total, about 523 thousand resources were blocked in 2024, but about 106 thousand were subsequently unblocked. Thus, more than 417 thousand pages remain inaccessible to this day.

According to Roskomsvoboda, the year 2023 was a record year for the total number of blockings; then the authorities blocked about 571 thousand resources, but only about 197 thousand of them remained under access restrictions.

WhatsApp messenger may also be blocked in Russia. The reason was President Vladimir Putin’s order to the government to submit a proposal by the fall to introduce additional restrictions on communication services “produced in unfriendly foreign countries.” At least two State Duma deputies confirmed the possibility of blocking the messenger in the near future, and Kremlin bots began to prepare Russians for the fact that blocking WhatsApp is necessary because of “propaganda” and “scammers.”

Photo: Speedtest official account on social network X

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