14 DAY TRIAL // Opera is a browser that, in addition to the typical feature package, also includes several unique tools, including a so-called Turbo Mode that’s supposed to speed up browsing and improve the page loading time.
One of the things that Turbo Mode also does is to bypass website bans, so it’s no surprise that many users turned to Opera in order to access restricted sites.
And yet, this could all come to an end very soon, as Opera might be working on a filtering system that could allow the company to blacklist websites that you’re not supposed to access in the first place, including pirate sites and torrent trackers.
Russian website kommersant.ru is reporting that Opera and local watchdog Roskomnadzor have been involved in a series of talks regarding a blacklist that could be implemented into the browser to block access to banned websites. The demand was made by Russia as it wanted to make sure that Opera didn’t serve as a workaround for users who wanted to access blocked websites in the country.
Negotiations stopped when Qihoo purchased Opera
The source says that an agreement between the two parts has never been reached, but Opera indeed admitted that a filtering system could work.
But discussions between Opera and Russian officials came to an end when the company was purchased by Chinese firm Qihoo, and the Norwegian firm closed its Russian office.
It’s believed that talks over a possible blacklist to be integrated into the browser could restart at some point in the future, and it’s likely that Opera has already developed such a feature just to be prepared should an agreement be reached.
For the moment, there are no official statements regarding these talks or the possible filtering mechanism that Opera might include in its browser, but given Russia’s efforts to control the Internet, this wouldn’t be surprising news.
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