Russia’s Invasion Is Accelerating Splinternet, French Envoy Says
- Renewed concern about governments weaponizing web technology
- Multiple internets could mean more devastating cyberattacks
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
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Russia’s war in Ukraine is hastening the arrival of the “splinternet,” a forced division of cyberspace under the control of competing political blocs, France’s digital affairs envoy, Henri Verdier, said during an interview with Bloomberg News.
As Russia accelerates domestic online censorship and Ukraine calls for Russia to be taken offline, Verdier said any transition by Russia to move toward an independent internet “would have very severe consequences.” He warned that nation-states might be more tempted to launch devastating cyberattacks they were sure they would be insulated from the results.