The Russian authorities have been on something of a digital crusade in recent years: one based on sovereignty, rather than morality. The latest target, as reported by the Russian business daily Kommersant, is the hugely popular messaging platform Discord, which is estimated to have between 30-40 million users in the country and account for around 4% of the app's traffic.
The opening salvo has already been fired. The Russian state media regulator Roskomnadzor has issued five separate rulings relating to Discord since September 20, which can all now be used as justification for an upcoming ban. Say what you will about authoritarian regimes, but they love their bureaucracy.
