Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has instructed Russian telecom operators to remove the Speedtest application from Ookla. This action follows the blocking of access to Speedtest within Russia due to alleged security threats.

Roskomnadzor’s request was conveyed through a letter from the Center for Network Management of the Public Communication Network (TsMU SSOP), an entity under its authority.

Telecom operators who fail to comply with this directive could face administrative penalties under the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses concerning violations of regulations on centralized management of the public communication network.

Roskomnadzor claims that Ookla’s Speedtest collects data on the configuration, strength, and functionality of Russian communication networks. The agency suggests this data could be exploited to strategize and execute attacks against Russian communication networks and connected entities.

As an alternative, Roskomnadzor promotes “ProSet,” a domestically developed application by the Monitoring and Management Center of the Public Communication Network. This application allows users to measure data transfer speeds, mobile signal strength, and the availability of internet resources on Android devices.