Roskomnadzor has allocated more than 2 billion rubles to implement artificial intelligence for internet traffic filtering. According to Forbes, which cited the digital transformation program passport for 2026–2028, the agency has directed 2.27 billion rubles toward this initiative.
How the AI mechanism works
The filtering mechanism will be integrated into the automated system for ensuring the security of the Russian segment of the internet. This system allows the agency to manage technical tools used by network operators to counter threats.
AI regulation specialist Dmitry Kuteynikov explained that the system will likely use a predictive model rather than a large language model. Instead of reading the actual content of the traffic, the technology will analyze external connection characteristics to determine the probability of VPN usage.
- Packet size and rhythm
- Session duration
- Server hosting provider
It means its main task is not to read the content of the traffic, but to assess the probability that a VPN is being used based on external signs of the connection and the server. Therefore, it will become harder to work with any VPNs, even those that change addresses and mask traffic.
Potential impact on users and business
The implementation of this mechanism may lead to several consequences for different groups of users.
- Ordinary users may experience degraded performance of acceleration tools and may need to constantly change service settings.
- Businesses could face disruptions due to the erroneous blocking of corporate VPNs and cloud services.
