Russia blocks popular US-made internet speed test tool over national security concerns

Russia has blocked access to Speedtest, a popular internet speed testing tool developed by U.S. company Ookla, claiming the service poses a national security threat and could aid cyberattacks.

The country’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said the ban was imposed due to security concerns regarding Russia’s communications infrastructure and the domestic internet segment known as the Runet. 

The agency alleges that Speedtest collects detailed data that could be exploited maliciously.

“The American company collects data on the layout and capacity of Russian communications nodes,” Roskomnadzor said in a statement to a local news agency. “This data can be used to plan, conduct, and assess attacks on Russian networks and related systems.”

Speedtest is widely used in Russia, including by telecom operators for internal analytics. However, the agency claims the U.S.-based platform has previously failed to comply with Russian data laws. Ookla was fined in 2022 and 2023 for not localizing the personal data of Russian users, as required under local legislation.

As an alternative, Roskomnadzor urged users to switch to ProSet, a domestic Android app developed by a government-affiliated agency. The tool measures data speed, mobile signal strength, and internet availability. So far, it has seen limited adoption, with only about 20,000 downloads over the past year and an average rating of 2.9 out of 5 on the Russian app store Rustore. Users have criticized its performance, accuracy and reliability.

Earlier on Wednesday, outage tracking service Downdetector reported a surge in complaints about Speedtest availability. Downdetector was acquired by Seattle-based Ookla in 2018. Russia is using a locally hosted version of Downdetector to track outages affecting national services. Ookla had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. 

The move comes amid broader disruptions to mobile internet and declining connection speeds in several Russian regions. It also reflects the government’s wider push to replace foreign technology with domestic alternatives and tighten control over the Russian internet.

In June, U.S. infrastructure company Cloudflare reported that Russian internet providers had begun blocking access to websites using its services. While no official explanation was given, Cloudflare said the restrictions aligned with Moscow’s efforts to isolate its digital infrastructure.

Russian authorities are also reportedly considering a ban on WhatsApp, one of the country’s most widely used messaging apps. Officials have been promoting a new domestic alternative called Max, currently in testing, which is intended to serve as Russia’s national messaging platform — similar to China’s state-integrated WeChat.