VPN demand spikes as Russia bans some social media

Demand for virtual private network (VPN) services has increased by 462% since Russia began censoring social media platforms on February 24, 2022.

Research from SafetyDetectives found a spike in VPN demand in Russia on March 4th, which coincided with the country's complete ban of Facebook and restrictions of Twitter. The Russian government also blocked several news outlets.

The ban escalated from the government's actions on February 24th, which included slowing service on Facebook and Twitter and blocking certain images and information as Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

Users in Russia may use VPN services to circumvent governmental restrictions, although many VPN services are banned in the country.

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Madeline Lauver is a former Editor in Chief at Security magazine. Within her role at Security, Lauver focused on news articles, web exclusives, features and several departments for Security’s monthly digital edition, as well as managing social media and multimedia content.

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