Alexander Bastrykin proposed considering the use of a VPN as an aggravating circumstance when committing a crime.

The head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, proposed recognizing the use of VPNs, neural networks, and proxy services as aggravating circumstances in the commission of crimes. The agency has already drafted a corresponding bill amending the Russian Criminal Code.

Why is the Investigative Committee proposing to tighten the Criminal Code?

Alexander Bastrykin asserts that modern digital technologies are increasingly being used in a wide variety of crimes. In light of this, the agency has drafted a universal provision for the Russian Criminal Code.

Currently, such technologies can even be used to commit murder, incitement to suicide, sexual acts, indecent acts, terrorism, and extremism.

The agency promises that this isn't about automatically increasing penalties for any use of gadgets, but rather a "systemic approach." Specifically, they plan to apply the aggravating factor primarily in cases where digital tools and neural networks serve as "the primary means of achieving a criminal goal."

Artificial intelligence at the service of the Investigative Committee itself

However, while advocating for severe punishment for criminals who use neural networks, investigators themselves actively rely on these same technologies in their work.

According to Bastrykin, AI algorithms have become "indispensable" in searching for digital traces, recognizing faces, and analyzing massive amounts of data. He cited the analysis of 2 terabytes of video, in which a neural network quickly identified more than 400 people in a terrorism case.