Report: 22 of 30 Russian apps detect VPNs, store data
Technology
Russian apps have started tracking people who use VPNs to get around internet restrictions.
According to a new report, 22 out of 30 major apps, including T-Bank, Sberbank, Yandex, and VKontakte, can tell if you're connected to a VPN.
In several cases, the information they collect gets stored on company servers and could be accessed by security services.
VPN use allowed but legally risky
While using a VPN is technically allowed in Russia, just being identified as a VPN user can count against you in legal situations.
This all comes as Russia tightens its grip on the internet: think mobile network outages in big cities and the push for Max, a state-backed superapp believed to come with strong monitoring features.