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Russia Wants To Launch Backup DNS System By August 1, 2018 (bleepingcomputer.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report from BleepingComputer: The Russian government plans to build its own "independent internet infrastructure" that will be used by BRICS member states -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The plan was part of the topic list at the October meeting of the Russian Security Council, and President Vladimir Putin approved the initiative with a completion deadline of August 1, 2018, according to Russian news agency RT. The Russian Security Council has today formally asked the country's government to start the building of a backup global DNS system that Russia and fellow BRICS member states could use. The Russian Security Council cited the "increased capabilities of western nations to conduct offensive operations in the informational space." Russia, China, and many other countries have criticized the U.S. for hoarding control over the domain naming system (DNS), a position they claim has allowed the U.S. to intercept and tap global internet traffic. The U.S. has relinquished control over the DNS system last year.
A backup makes it sound like it is a plan in case of failure. This sounds a bit like they are looking for an alternate DNS if they disapprove of something the US (or other countries) has done. From the article "In addition, the backup DNS system also allows these states to isolate websites and services that other countries could not access."
Sent from my TARDIS
My guess Russian logic goes like this: it is not improbable that relationship between the US and Russia could deteriorate to a level where the US would use control of the root DNS as a weapon. Unfortunate as it may be, but this move appears to be an adequate reaction to this possible threat.
Every bit of that was hypocritical bull. It's an open secret that Russia has been conducting their own offensive operations for years now, and they have been getting away with it specifically because the US can't "intercept and tap global internet traffic" as the Russians claim.
But their excuses for segmenting off their own corner of the internet aren't really meant for us, anyway; they're directed inward. In fact, this entire maneuver is almost certainly directly linked to Russia's desire (and that of their allies) to more thoroughly block access at will to large swaths of the internet, for their own populace. Don't like the latest anti-Russian sentiment on Slashdot or on Facebook, because it comes to close to exposing the truth? No problem -- just block it! When they start implementing their real agenda, they'll likely position it as an "anti-porn" initiative or some such thing, but make no mistake; this is all about controlling the information that reaches the people that matter the most... the ones who might one day rise up against the Orwellian control being exerted by their government.
Information control only works for so long, before little bits of the truth leak through the cracks.
"the web" isn't a monolithic thing which can be forked. It is a network of networks. Lots of different groups do lots of different things using the network, this is just one more
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