VPN use in Russia is surging as citizens try to bypass government’s tightening internet control

Russia has tightened its control over its internet. Authorities have blocked access to Meta-owned Facebook and restricted access to Twitter.

Russians are using virtual private networks to circumvent the country's tightened internet controls.

The internet user can use a virtual private network to access blocked websites and services.

According to data from SensorTower, the top 10 VPNs in the App Store and the Play Store in Russia had over 6 million downloads between February 24 and March 8.

This was up 1,500% when compared to the previous period.

Russia's internet has been subject to censorship for a long time, but major U.S. platforms like Facebook have been free to use. If they host content that is perceived to be critical of the Kremlin, these companies have operated under the threat of being blocked.

President Putin has been trying to tighten his grip on the internet recently. Russia enacted a law that gave authorities wide-ranging powers to try to stop the internet from being used in other countries. Russia said the law was designed to protect it against cyberattacks.

Russia wants to further restrict access to foreign internet platforms. On March 4, access to Facebook was blocked by Meta.

On March 5, Top10VPN said that demand for VPNs surged more than 10 fold above the average.

As Russian users attempt to circumvent restrictions on their access to products in Russia, a surge in adoption of virtual private networks has been observed, according to a SensorTower spokesman.

The installs of VPNs will likely continue to increase as restrictions increase. At the moment, marketplaces such as Apple's App Store and Google Play are still available, however, that may very well change in the future.

The most significant spikes in sales were recorded on March 5 and March 6 when Facebook was blocked.

A Surfshark spokesman told CNBC that people living in Russia are looking for ways to avoid government snooping.

A version of the website that protects internet traffic has been launched by the social media company.

Technology companies have decided to suspend operations in the company after Russia blocked services.

There are a lot of technology companies that have stopped sales or services in Russia.