Moscow readies cyber defenses under web law

Russia has begun implementing a law that critics have said can enable the government to cut off the country's internet links with the rest of the world.

Officials counter that the measures under the sovereign internet law, which went into effect last Friday, will protect against cyberattacks.

The law requires Russian internet service providers, or ISPs, to install "deep package inspection "tools within the country to enable the providers to locate the source of web traffic, and to reroute and block them when needed.

It also requires ISPs to route the country's web traffic and information through state-controlled exchange points, thus creating its own directory of web domains and addresses.

Under the law, the government will also have the power to switch off all internet connections to other countries in an emergency, the BBC reported, citing the law's text.

Aleksandr Zharov, the head of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, has said all Russian internet providers have agreed to comply with the law and install the hardware, which is being tested in one of the Russian regions.

The law was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this year, though it didn't come into force until late last week. It has drawn criticism from Western media.

US TV network CNN reported that it's not entirely clear how the authorities plan to implement the legislation. Russian officials have described it as a work in progress that requires multiple testings and additional regulations.

The Russian government has justified the law by saying it is needed to prevent cyberattacks, especially those from the United States.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has rejected the idea the law could be used to cut off Russia from the rest of the world. "No one is suggesting cutting the internet," he said.

Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta said the legislation is part of efforts to protect Russia by creating the ability to sustain a fenced-off national network, in the event that a foreign power interferes with Russian cyberspace.

The law should not affect internet users, the newspaper said.