Russian authorities have threatened to deny IT accreditation from the Ministry of Digital Development to Russian developers whose services will continue to work when users enable a VPN. Kommersant newspaper reported this on March 31, citing sources.
The accreditation provides companies with tax advantages: developers are exempt from paying VAT, the income tax rate for them is 5% instead of 25%, and reduced insurance premiums apply. Additionally, employees of certified companies enjoy a deferment from the military and can obtain an IT mortgage.
In total, the registry of information technology companies maintained by the ministry includes about 20,000 participants.
The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation has prepared a draft government decree, according to which companies may be deprived of the right to pre-install their applications on devices in Russia if they allow VPN traffic.
According to Kommersant’s interlocutor, the FSB will identify VPN traffic and send a request to the Ministry of Digital Development.
Russian authorities have intensified their fight against VPN services in recent days. The Ministry of Digital Development proposed blocking access to Russian platforms under a VPN, as well as charging mobile traffic when using a VPN beyond the maximum of 15 GB per month. In addition, as part of the fight against bypassing the ban, the authorities want to ban replenishing the Apple ID balance from the mobile phone account from April 1.