Security News > 2022 > April > US eases sanctions that may lead to Russia's Internet isolation
Today, the U.S. has announced exemptions on previously imposed sanctions on Russia related to telecommunications and internet-based communications, likely to prevent Russians from being isolated from Western news sources.
The revised sanctions released today and signed by Deputy Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control, Bradley Smith, re-opens the possibility for US companies to license, export, sell, or supply services for software, hardware, and IT technology related to communications.
Except as provided in paragraph of this general license, all transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the receipt or transmission of telecommunications involving the Russian Federation that are prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 587, are authorized.
The updated sanctions still prevent companies from working with the Central Bank of Russia, the National Wealth Fund, and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation.
Cloudflare recently reported on the effects of widespread blockages in Russia, pushing many users in the country to seek reliable information sources on Western news sites via VPN. Also, a month ago, Russia launched its own TLS certificate authority in response to the sanctions that prevent websites from renewing their expiring certificates, which ultimately raised grave privacy risks for users.
Other side-effects of the severe sanctions on IT equipment include software licensing issues and a currently-unfolding data storage crisis that threatens to jeopardize internet services in Russia.