The logo of Russia’s state communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, is reflected in a laptop screen in this picture illustration taken Feb. 12, 2019. (REUTERS)
MOSCOW — Russia stepped up state oversight of internet activity on Wednesday by blocking the website of global privacy service Tor and part of its wider network, with the communications regulator accusing it of enabling access to illegal content.
Russia has exerted increasing pressure on foreign tech companies this year over content shared on their platforms and has also targeted virtual private networks (VPN) and other online tools in a campaign critics say stifles internet freedom.
The regulator, Roskomnadzor, said the website had been prohibited on the basis of a court decision.
“The grounds for this were the placement of information on this website that enable the operation of tools that provide access to unlawful content,” Roskomnadzor said in a statement.
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“Today, access to the resource has been restricted.”
Tor, which was founded by U.S. computer scientists, had no immediate comment.
