This important outcome would not be possible without Roskomsvoboda's pro bono support, but the fight is not over,” the Tor Project told Motherboard in a statement. Is incredible news for digital rights and the freedom to use Tor in Russia. “The decision to overturn the block against our website The second point was that Russian law does not contain any general ban on the spreading of information related to anonymizing technology, Roskomsvoboda writes.Ībashina said in the blog post that the court set the case for a new trial, this time with The Tor Project as part of the proceedings.Īn update to the blog post says that the new trial is set for May 26.

“That is an absolute basis for setting the decision aside, since the decision to block the site affected the rights and obligations of its owner,” Ekaterina Abashina, the media lawyer of Roskomsvoboda, said in the blog post.

The first was that in the 2017 case the court did not summon the Tor Project itself. Since then, Roskomsvoboda has raised issues with the ruling. Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, Wickr on josephcox, OTR chat on or email Tor Project website was blocked in a ruling in December 2017 at the Saratov court. “The decision (main requirement) is canceled in part with the direction of the case for a new trial,” the result published on the Saratov regional court’s website reads in Russian.ĭo you know about any other cases of internet censorship? We'd love to hear from you. “If this decision is cancelled, there will be no formal grounds for continuing the blocking and Tor will have to be removed from the registry of Roskomnadzor,” a representative of Roskomsvoboda told Motherboard in an online chat, referring to the Russian government censorship agency.

But if the website does eventually become more readily available in Russia, more people might be able to access information and resources on how to stay anonymous online.

Russia has a history of blocking access to the network, and the court has directed for a new trial to take place. The move does not necessarily mean it will be any easier to use the Tor anonymity network itself from Russia.

Tor project website