December 01, 2024

Pyrates Beware!


Pyrates Beware!
Avast, me hearties! RussianLife files

Russian state media reports that there has been a sharp increase in Russians using legal sites for media consumption in 2024. The reason, surprisingly, is largely due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to Roskomnadzor, Russia's telecommunications regulator, 2024 year-to-date subscription sales to video streaming services are 3.5 times what they were in 2023. At the same time, the agency has blocked 908,000 piracy websites. Overall, these trends imply that users who would normally pirate media are instead being forced to consume content legally.

This crackdown of the past few years is part of trends started in the context of Russia's War on Ukraine. Since the start of the conflict, Roskomnadzor has severely restricted internet access for many Russians, allowing only specific sites to be accessed. They've also struck at VPNs used to sidestep restrictions and have taken actions to track users more closely.

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