Viber went down because Russian authorities were attempting to take another popular instant messenger service, Telegram, offline for failing to comply with security enforcements made by the government. If you are using Viber or Telegram in Russia, you can make sure to have 100% connectivity at all times through the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Why does Russia block Instant Messengers?
The bill became law in April 2018, and Russia authorities began trying to block Telegram, resulting in several key components supporting Viber also going dark, causing the lack of connectivity. Viber’s ownership took to the Internet to explain to its membership what had happened and compared the situation to one in Iran, where Viber had lost 20 million customers “thanks” to government interference.
Viber’s Future in Russia
The biggest problem with Viber in Russia is that like it uses the same sort of end-to-end encryption as Telegram which continues to battle against the Russian government on its own legality. However, Russia is one of the world’s best cyber-industry countries, meaning at some point it will crack the code to blocking Viber if the company does not comply with its demands to release its encryption codes. When that day comes, anyone without a VPN will be powerless to access Viber.
Best VPNs for Russia
1VyprVPN
VyprVPN dates back to 2010 and hails out of Switzerland. As would be expected of any company trying to outsmart Russia censorship, VyprVPN has impressive security details including 256-bit AES encryption, zero-knowledge DNS, its own NAT Firewall, and a host of accepted encryption protocols including Chameleon, PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, and OpenVPN. Not only does the company have fast download and upload speeds, but it also does not limit bandwidth for customers regardless of how much they’ve used at any given time in a month. It has a wide range of servers, featuring more than 200,000 IP addresses spread across 700 servers in 70 locations. It also has apps for all 10 supported software platforms.
2SaferVPN
Speaking of hardcore security, SaferVPN is located in Israel, which has impressive laws when it comes to personal and data privacy, so expect to be covered thoroughly. It offers a kill switch, and is open to encryption from PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, IKEv2, and OPenVPN. It does not keep logs and also recently stopped storing IP addresses; this is a company dedicated to individual privacy and security, which is much-needed in a country like Russia where being caught visiting banned websites can carry a harsh punishment. To be sure it’s the right VPN for you, SaferVPN has a free 24-hour trial with unlimited bandwidth as well a 30-day money-back guarantee that you can really utilize if you’ll be in Russia for a short period of time.
3Trust.Zone VPN
Trust.Zone VPN security is largely limited to a kill switch and solid encryption, but it’s a great fit if you’re a first-time VPN user or on who will be using it on a limited basis while visiting Russia for a short period. The VPN does not keep logs, which is a tremendous asset in a country that so vigilantly practices censorship. It also has a 10-day refund policy in place; which means if you are in Russia for a short trip, you can get the VPN service for free by canceling it before that 10-day window expires. Trust.Zone is very affordable and its unlimited bandwidth is a standard feature, something that a lot of VPNs don’t offer without an increase in your per month subscription.
