The comments from Verdier, who visited Washington D.C. to discuss the war with his counterparts at the US Department of State, the National Security Council, underscore growing concern that Russia could realise its suspected intention to establish a more ‘sovereign’ Internet. — Global business photo created by jcomp - www.freepik.com
Russia’s war in Ukraine is hastening the arrival of the "Splinternet", a forced division of cyberspace under the control of competing political blocs, France’s digital affairs envoy, Henri Verdier, said during an interview with Bloomberg News.
As Russia accelerates domestic online censorship and Ukraine calls for Russia to be taken offline, Verdier said any transition by Russia to move toward an independent Internet "would have very severe consequences". He warned that nation-states might be more tempted to launch devastating cyberattacks if it was sure it would be insulated from the results.
