Internet Protection Society

The Internet Protection Society (Russian: Общество защиты интернета, ОЗИ) is a Russian non-profit foundation established in January 2016 by opposition activists Leonid Volkov and Sergei Boyko. It was created in anticipation of new restrictions on the Russian internet and declared its mission as defending the internet in Russia from censorship, excessive regulation, and administrative arbitrariness. The organization aimed to promote the internet as an environment free from unnecessary constraints. The Society is best known for its public monitoring tools. It published a daily "Connectivity Index" that measured the number of connections between Russian and foreign autonomous systems, using data from the RIPE atlas, arguing that a higher index indicated a freer internet. It also published a monthly "Internet Freedom Index," which scored the level of regulation and restriction of citizens' rights in the Russian segment of the network, starting from a baseline of 1,000 on 1 January 2016. According to the organization, the index fell to 711 in 2017, 569 in 2018, and 370 in 2019. Additionally, the Society documented cases of administrative and criminal prosecution for online posts, memes, likes, and reposts, mapping them on a "Repression Map" to highlight problematic regions. In March 2019, the Internet Protection Society became the first Russian public organization to gain membership in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), joining its Non-Commercial Users Constituency within the Non-Commercial Stakeholders Group. It intended to participate in internet governance policy development and to eventually join the ICANN board. The organization also engaged in street protests. On 30 April 2018, it co-organized a Moscow rally against the blocking of Telegram, which drew up to 12,000 participants. On 10 March 2019, it helped organize a Moscow protest against the isolation of the Runet and the proposed "sovereign internet" law. By 2025, following prolonged internal conflicts within the Russian opposition, the Society's website had ceased to function entirely, and former participants shifted their efforts toward international activities of the Anti-Corruption Foundation rather than the fight for internet freedom. The organization is therefore considered defunct or inactive.

The Internet Protection Society was founded in January 2016 by Russian public and political figures Leonid Volkov and Sergei Boyko. According to Volkov, the creation of the organization was prompted by the expectation of new restrictions on the functioning of the internet in Russia and the need to preempt them. The organization declared its main goals as developing the internet in Russia as an environment free from excessive restrictions. On 25 March 2019, the Internet Protection Society became the first Russian public organization to gain membership in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The foundation joined the corporation's Non-Commercial Users Constituency within the Non-Commercial Stakeholders Group and would participate in internet governance policy development, protection of non-commercial communications, consumer protection, civil liberties, and human rights. The Society intended to take an active part in the corporation's work and to eventually join the ICANN board. The Society published a daily "Connectivity Index" on its website, showing the cumulative number of connections between Russian and foreign autonomous systems. The index was automatically calculated based on data from the RIPE atlas. According to the organization's position, this index showed the level of internet freedom in Russia: the higher it was, the freer the internet. In addition, the organization published a monthly "Internet Freedom Index," assessing the level of regulation and restriction of citizens' rights in the Russian segment of the network. The baseline was set at 1,000 on 1 January 2016. According to the organization, the index fell to 711 in 2017, to 569 in 2018, and to 370 in 2019. The Internet Protection Society published information on its website about cases of citizens being brought to administrative or criminal liability for publishing posts and memes, as well as for likes and reposts on social networks. This information was also plotted on a "Repression Map," which allowed identifying problematic regions of Russia in this regard. The organization participated in protests. On 30 April 2018, a rally against the blocking of the Telegram messenger in Russia took place in Moscow, gathering up to 12,000 participants. The organizers of the action were the Libertarian Party and the Internet Protection Society. On 10 March 2019, a rally against the isolation of the Runet took place in Moscow, with participants speaking out against the adoption of the "sovereign internet" law. The Internet Protection Society was among the organizers. Its members believed that this law was inappropriate and illustrated a misunderstanding of the specifics of how the internet functions by its initiators. As of 2025, after prolonged internal conflicts within the Russian opposition, the OZI website had completely ceased to function, and the further activities of former OZI participants were directed toward supporting the more international activities of the FBK (Anti-Corruption Foundation) rather than the fight for internet freedom.

• 2025

  Website ceased to function; organization effectively defunct.

• 2019

  Became the first Russian public organization to join ICANN on 25 March.

• 2019

  Co-organized a Moscow rally against the isolation of the Runet on 10 March.

• 2018

  Co-organized a Moscow rally against the blocking of Telegram on 30 April, drawing up to 12,000 participants.

• 2016

  Founded in January by Leonid Volkov and Sergei Boyko.

Non-profit advocacy organization defending internet freedom in Russia.

1. 1Общество защиты интернетаru.wikipedia.org
2. 2Internet Protection Societywikidata.org
3. 3W88 Link Mới Nhất 09/2026 – Link Vào W88 Không Bị Chặn - totalbizcampusguru.in.net