Then imagine that Occupy Wall Street, anti-Keystone XL pipeline protests and all kinds of domestic opposition political activity would be organized through these Russian-controlled social networks. But don’t stop there: imagine if a huge chunk of America’s digital life — the personal and business information of several hundred million people — was funneled through the servers of a foreign and hostile country, where they’d be wide open to analysis and interception by the FSB.

Imagining all of that is all you can do, because it would never be allowed to happen. America would have a massive nationalist McCarthyite freakout. You know it, I know it, dogs know it.

How violently would America respond? Well, consider the Dubai Ports World fiasco. Back in 2006, America’s political system went into nationalist, anti-Muslim convulsions just because a Dubai-owned company was going to take over management of a handful of US shipping ports. Politicians and pundits freaked out that America was handing over the contract to a foreign entity. Of course, those ports were already being handled by a British company — but the thought of a Middle Eastern state overseeing the transfer of goods in and out of the country was too much. Even then-Senator Barack Obama got his nationalism on. California Senator Barbara Boxer didn’t hold back, either, saying that it was “ridiculous” to allow a “nation that has ties to 9/11 to take over part of our port operations.” And so the deal crashed and burned, despite being supported by the entire Bush administration.

With US neocons ready to go all out against Russia, treating it like Cuba or Iran over the annexation of Crimea, Putin has all the reason — and political cover — he needs to squeeze American tech companies harder and harder. As he does so, the freedom of Russian Internet users will continue to be eroded down to oblivion.