Chapter 1: The Role of Information Control in Modern Conflicts

The ongoing military conflict in Ukraine extends beyond the battlefield, manifesting significantly in the realm of information warfare. This situation highlights a global struggle where the conflicting parties clash over their varied interpretations of freedom, security, democracy, and fundamental human rights. In today's interconnected world, mastering information control and internet censorship technologies has become essential for major players.

Canadian-American firm Sandvine, which operates under the Silicon Valley investment group Francisco Partners, has been supplying deep packet inspection (DPI) technology to Russian telecom operators for several years. Experts in the IT field have indicated that this network technology, often referred to as "naked Internet scanners," poses serious threats to users' basic rights and can facilitate censorship.

Sandvine, headquartered in Waterloo, Canada, offers products aimed at implementing extensive network policies, including internet censorship, traffic management, and security measures. Notably, one of Sandvine's investors also has ties to the NSO Group, an Israeli tech firm renowned for its spyware capable of conducting zero-click surveillance on smartphones. Established in 2001, Sandvine initially struggled to sell its DPI systems to leading Russian telecoms due to restrictions from both Canadian and Russian governments. Additionally, potential clients were interested in using the technology for monitoring the Telegram messaging app, a feature Sandvine could not provide at the time.

In 2017, Francisco Partners acquired Sandvine, marking a pivotal moment in the company's history. The investor's ownership of parts of the Israeli cyber-arms firm NSO Group, known for the government-grade Pegasus Trojan spyware, raised further concerns. Pegasus has capabilities that allow it to read text messages, track calls, capture passwords, monitor locations, and access the microphone and camera of targeted devices. Francisco Partners subsequently merged Sandvine with Procera Networks, another DPI provider that had already established a presence in Russia since 2012.

During meetings in Moscow in 2018, Sandvine's representatives promoted the advantages of deep packet inspection. They informed interested parties that this technology could restrict access to specific websites, track individuals, and assist local law enforcement, according to internal Bloomberg sources.

Eventually, Sandvine secured contracts to supply its internet scanning technology to telecom operators, including Megafon, the second-largest mobile operator in Russia, and Tele2 Russia, a government-controlled entity. The DPI technology is integral to the hardware-software system known as "technical means to counter threats," which the Russian regulator Roskomnadzor utilizes to block undesirable information resources.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sandvine reportedly reduced its operations in Russia and ceased all sales to the Kremlin’s vast disinformation apparatus, as stated by a company spokesperson to Bloomberg. The spokesperson claimed that the equipment deployed on-site was solely used for billing and service quality monitoring, a statement that contrasts sharply with observed realities.

Access providers have increasingly turned to DPI for traffic management, which drew complaints in 2019 from civil society groups, scientists, and companies across 15 countries. The technology enables data packet inspection, service discrimination, and user behavior surveillance. Consequently, sensitive information regarding political or religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or personal health can be compromised.

The spokesperson maintained that Sandvine never consented to provide surveillance technology to Russia, asserting that any attempts by service providers to repurpose the technology for surveillance would lead to contract termination. However, Bloomberg reported that prior to withdrawing from the Russian market, some employees had voiced concerns in internal discussions about the potential for their technology to facilitate internet censorship. Sandvine's Chief Technical Officer, Alexander Haväng, acknowledged to the internal ethics committee the difficulty in preventing clients from leveraging web-blocking technology. Following the company's exit from the Russian market, numerous articles concerning Sandvine's business relationships with Russia were removed from their official website.

A subsequent analysis by Bloomberg revealed that Sandvine’s technology was employed to block websites in Jordan, independent news outlets in Egypt, and social media platforms in Azerbaijan. In the summer of 2020, it was reported that the Belarusian government utilized Sandvine’s systems to limit access to foreign news and social media during the contentious presidential elections, prompting the company to sever ties with the authorities in Minsk.

In my recently published book about the political turmoil in Belarus, I assess the West's involvement in the aftermath of the disputed 2020 elections. Two years ago, it was evident that the status quo approach adopted by many Western companies had dire consequences for the Belarusian people's fight for their fundamental rights. This approach inadvertently fortified Alexander Lukashenko's grip on power and allowed him to entrench his dictatorship in 2020. Presently, nearly all opposition media outlets in Belarus and Russia are blocked.