‘This is different’: Why internet backbone services are cutting off Russia

In the past week, however, the severing of Russia from the global internet went one layer deeper. Two of the world’s largest internet service providers, Lumen Technologies and Cogent Communications, said they would It’s also an unprecedented decision in some ways. Schaeffer said Cogent has previously taken down certain websites and addresses at the requests of governments in several countries, including Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States, as long as the requests have a lawful basis. “This is different,” he said, describing it as the first time the company has made a proactive move. “We don’t look inside of our customers’ pipes, what they do with them is their business. In this case, we terminated the entire pipe.”