PROCOMENTS, a tool in Firefox used to bypass Roskomnadzor locks, is facing issues in loading additions from the Addons.mozilla catalog (AMO). Several popular additions that enabled users to bypass restrictions are now displaying a page informing Russian users about the ban on accessing the page. The developer of one of the blocked additions has reached out to Mozilla for clarification on the reason for the block, as the addition does not violate any rules of the AMO catalog. Mozilla representatives have not yet provided a reason for the block, but it is speculated that this action was taken in response to demands from Roskomnadzor.
In a similar vein, Mozilla has previously blocked access to additions such as Ublock Origin, Adguard, Adnauseam, and Adblock from China in 2022, due to violations of local laws. This move contradicts Mozilla’s manifesto and deviates from the company’s policy, which had previously excluded Yandex and Mail.ru services from search engine options for favoring biased viewpoints in search results.
Due to the ban on promoting tools for bypassing restrictions effective from March 1, the blocked additions for the Russian Federation cannot be explicitly named. These additions cater to different needs such as bypassing regional locks, censorship in Runet, providing VPN services that are not blocked by Roskomnadzor, and selectively enabling proxy usage for blocked sites.