Russia's Digital Development Ministry floated using AI to find and block VPN services

Russia's Digital Development Ministry has proposed using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the characteristics of VPN services so they can be detected and blocked more effectively. A VPN, or virtual private network, lets users bypass internet access restrictions. The Russian business daily Kommersant reported the proposal on 16 October, citing one draft version of a national plan for introducing AI technologies through 2030.

What the proposal says

The drafters of the plan state that AI could reach 95% effectiveness in blocking VPN services. The ministry told Kommersant that the current version of the draft contains no such information.

A source familiar with discussions around the initiative told the paper that algorithms for intelligent traffic analysis are already in use, although they are not AI. An industry source explained that AI tools make it possible to find VPN servers fairly quickly from indirect signs: how a node behaves, what hosting it uses and what neighboring addresses look like. Most importantly, the source said, this allows faster responses to changes in network activity.

Several sources cautioned, however, that using AI, "especially during the initial stages of training," would probably lead to the erroneous blocking of legitimate traffic.

Background

Demand for VPNs in Russia has surged as popular social networks, services and messaging apps have been blocked. The authorities have responded by stepping up efforts against the circumvention of these blocks. Russia's budget for the next three years sets aside a record 60 billion rubles for traffic filtering. It has also been reported repeatedly that the ministry wants to charge higher rates for international traffic, since operators treat VPN traffic as international.