In the Russian Federation, the system of so-called ‘white lists’ is increasingly being implemented to restrict access to internet resources, resulting in significant distortion of competition in the market. This scheme allows only those companies recognized as loyal to the authorities to access users, while others are effectively deprived of the opportunity to operate in the country’s digital space.
This is reported by Finway
Discrimination in the Banking and Digital Sectors
The mechanism of ‘white lists’ operates on the principle that the state independently determines which companies or services will receive priority access to the audience. In particular, in the banking sector, this leads to a significant disparity: of more than 300 financial institutions, only a few made it onto the approved list. The head of the Central Bank of Russia, Elvira Nabiullina, acknowledged that such regulation leads to reduced competition, forcing entrepreneurs to turn to large banks, even if smaller ones could offer more favorable conditions.
A similar situation is observed in retail and among digital services. Companies such as ‘Vkusno i Tochka’, ‘Pyaterochka’, ‘Yandex’, and VK gain advantages not due to market achievements, but because of their presence on the ‘white list’. Smaller companies that were not included in the list risk losing their audience during the implementation of restrictions.
A Tool for Pressure on Business and Financial Aspects
In addition to its anti-competitive component, the ‘white lists’ system is used as a lever of direct influence on business. Companies that continue to serve users with VPNs face the threat of being removed from the list, meaning they would lose access to customers. Entrepreneurs are left with a choice: comply with the state’s traffic filtering policy or agree to be pushed out of the market.
Another vector of pressure is financial. Although specific amounts are not disclosed, it is clear that the conditions will not be symbolic. The oversight of information policy and the formation of ‘white lists’ is managed by Sergey Kirienko, who reportedly has significant influence over their revision. This creates space for informal pressure on businesses that goes far beyond technical regulation.
“Ultimately, ‘white lists’ have turned into something more than a registry of permitted websites. They are a mechanism through which the state controls access to consumers, and loyalty to the Kremlin becomes the new currency of competitiveness,” noted the SBU.
It has also become known that the Russian authorities plan to prohibit incoming international calls from a number of ‘unfriendly countries’ for ordinary citizens without prior consent from the subscriber, as well as to implement mandatory labeling of such calls.