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Korea Herald
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Russia passes law punishing searches for 'extremist' content
Russians will face fines if they search online for "extremist" content under a new law that tightens censorship and could have sweeping ramifications for digital privacy and the fate of WhatsApp in the country. The legislation, approved on Tuesday by parliament's lower house, the State Duma, has drawn criticism from some pro-government figures, as well as opposition activists. Opponents say the fines it prescribes, of up to 5,000 roubles ($63.82), could open the door to tougher charges and penalties. The Ministry of Justice's list of extremist materials stretches to more than 500 pages. Entities banned in Russia for carrying out "extremist activities" include late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund, the "international LGBT movement" and US tech giant Meta Platforms. On Friday, lawmakers who regulate the IT sector said Meta-owned WhatsApp should prepare to leave the Russian market as it was likely to be added to a list of restricted software. The new legislation targets people who knowingly search for extremist materials online, including through virtual private networks that millions of people across Russia use to bypass censorship and access banned content. "This bill concerns a very narrow group of people, who look for extremist content because they themselves are already one step away from extremism," Sergei Boyarsky, head of the Duma's information technology committee, told Duma TV. Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev said law enforcement would have to prove that users intended to view extremist materials and that merely accessing platforms would not be penalised. It was not immediately clear how the authorities would determine intent in an online search. The lack of clarity has left many feeling uneasy. Yekaterina Mizulina, head of Russia's League for a Safe Internet, a body founded with the authorities' support, criticized the law's "vague wording" and warned the law could spark a wave of fraud, blackmail and extortion. "For now, the law applies only to the search for extremist materials, but there is no guarantee," Mizulina wrote on Telegram. "The list could be expanded in a couple of days." Sarkis Darbinyan, founder of digital rights group Roskomsvoboda, said he expected people to start unsubscribing from certain channels and deleting apps. "I think this is one of the main tasks that has been set: to create fear, to create such uncertainty so as to increase the level of self-censorship among the Russian internet audience," Darbinyan told Reuters. Shadaev told the Duma that fines on the Russian population were preferable to banning platforms like WhatsApp and Google in Russia. Moscow has long sought to establish what it calls digital sovereignty by promoting home-grown services, including a new state-backed messaging app, MAX, but many people across Russia still rely on foreign platforms. Opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin, who tried unsuccessfully to run against Vladimir Putin in a presidential election last year, led a protest outside the Duma on Tuesday and promised to continue protesting the bill's passage through the upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, before it becomes law on Sept. 1. "These amendments have caused a level of resistance in Russian society that has not been seen for a long time," Nadezhdin said, pointing to the surprisingly high number of lawmakers voting against the proposed legislation in the Duma, which rarely sees serious dissent. The law was approved with 68 percent of the vote. There were 67 votes against the legislation, or 14.9 percent, and 22 abstentions. (Reuters)
Los Angeles Times
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Russian lawmakers pass a bill punishing online searches for information deemed to be 'extremist'
MOSCOW — Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed 'extremist,' the latest move by government authorities in their relentless crackdown on dissent. The bill passed by the lower house, the State Duma, moves to its all-but-certain endorsement in the upper house and then goes to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. The legislation punishes what it describes as 'deliberately searching for and accessing extremist materials' online. First-time offenders face a fine of up to the equivalent of $64. The official definition of extremist activity is extremely broad and includes opposition groups like the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the 'international LGBT movement.' It's not clear how authorities will track down violators. Officials and lawmakers said ordinary internet users won't be affected and only those who methodically seek outlawed content will be targeted. They didn't explain how the authorities would differentiate between them. Some observers have suggested the information would likely come from internet providers or social media platforms, and police also could randomly check the search history of cellphones or computers. The new legislation also contained a ban on advertising of virtual private network services and fines for VPN resources that fail to comply with government regulations, but stopped short of banning their use. It did list the use of a VPN as an 'aggravating circumstance' in case of other violations of the law. Russians widely use VPN services for access to banned content, but authorities have sought to tighten restrictions, trying to close the loopholes. The state communications watchdog has increasingly used technology to analyze traffic and block specific VPN protocols. The Russian authorities have ramped their multipronged crackdown on dissent after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, online censorship and prosecutions for social media posts and comments have soared. Multiple independent news outlets and rights groups have been shut down, labeled as 'foreign agents' or outlawed as 'undesirable.' Hundreds of activists and critics of the Kremlin have faced criminal charges. The new legislation has sparked broad public criticism. The Duma, which unanimously supports most government initiatives, was markedly divided in Tuesday's vote, with 306 backing the measure, 67 voting against it and 22 abstaining. Among those who opposed the bill were some members of the Communist Party, Just Russia and the liberal New People party who usually follow the Kremlin's wishes. Liberal politician Boris Nadezhdin, who sought to challenge Putin in last year's presidential election but was denied a spot on the ballot, told reporters outside the State Duma that he opposed the new legislation. 'It creates real problems for tens of millions of people,' he said. Nadezhdin's aide, Dmitry Kisiev, who picketed the parliament building with a poster likening the legislation to the world of George Orwell's dystopian '1984,' was quickly rounded up by police, who also detained several reporters covering the protest. Even some pro-Kremlin figures have criticized the bill, arguing it would make it impossible for them to track down and deflect comments by Kremlin critics. Margarita Simonyan, head of the state-funded RT channel, has spoken against the legislation, questioning how her media group could 'investigate and bring to shame' anti-Kremlin outlets 'if we are forbidden to even read them.' And Yekaterina Mizulina, whose group Safe Internet League has frequently reported dissenters to authorities, also strongly condemned the new bill, arguing it would make it impossible for her group to monitor 'extremist communities' on the web.
The Hill
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Russian lawmakers pass a bill punishing online searches for information deemed to be ‘extremist'
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed 'extremist,' the latest move by government authorities in their relentless crackdown on dissent. The bill passed by the lower house, the State Duma, moves to its all-but-certain endorsement in the upper house and then goes to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. The legislation punishes what it describes as 'deliberately searching for and accessing extremist materials' online. First-time offenders face a fine of up to the equivalent of $64. The official definition of extremist activity is extremely broad and includes opposition groups like the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the 'international LGBT movement.' It's not clear how authorities will track down violators. Officials and lawmakers said ordinary internet users won't be affected and only those who methodically seek outlawed content will be targeted. They didn't explain how the authorities would differentiate between them. Some observers have suggested the information would likely come from internet providers or social media platforms, and police also could randomly check the search history of cellphones or computers. The new legislation also contained a ban on advertising of virtual private network services and fines for VPN resources that fail to comply with government regulations, but stopped short of banning their use. It did list the use of a VPN as an 'aggravating circumstance' in case of other violations of the law. Russians widely use VPN services for access to banned content, but authorities have sought to tighten restrictions, trying to close the loopholes. The state communications watchdog has increasingly used technology to analyze traffic and block specific VPN protocols. The Russian authorities have ramped their multipronged crackdown on dissent after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, online censorship and prosecutions for social media posts and comments have soared. Multiple independent news outlets and rights groups have been shut down, labeled as 'foreign agents' or outlawed as 'undesirable.' Hundreds of activists and critics of the Kremlin have faced criminal charges. The new legislation has sparked broad public criticism. The Duma, which unanimously supports most government initiatives, was markedly divided in Tuesday's vote, with 306 backing the measure, 67 voting against it and 22 abstaining. Among those who opposed the bill were some members of the Communist Party, Just Russia and the liberal New People party who usually follow the Kremlin's wishes. Liberal politician Boris Nadezhdin, who sought to challenge Putin in last year's presidential election but was denied a spot on the ballot, told reporters outside the State Duma that he opposed the new legislation. 'It creates real problems for tens of millions of people,' he said. Nadezhdin's aide, Dmitry Kisiev, who picketed the parliament building with a poster likening the legislation to the world of George Orwell's dystopian '1984,' was quickly rounded up by police, who also detained several reporters covering the protest. Even some pro-Kremlin figures have criticized the bill, arguing it would make it impossible for them to track down and deflect comments by Kremlin critics. Margarita Simonyan, head of the state-funded RT channel, has spoken against the legislation, questioning how her media group could 'investigate and bring to shame' anti-Kremlin outlets 'if we are forbidden to even read them.' And Yekaterina Mizulina, whose group Safe Internet League has frequently reported dissenters to authorities, also strongly condemned the new bill, arguing it would make it impossible for her group to monitor 'extremist communities' on the web.
New Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Russian lawmakers pass bill punishing online searches for information deemed to be 'extremist'
MOSCOW: Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed 'extremist,' the latest move by government authorities in their relentless crackdown on dissent. The bill passed by the lower house, the State Duma, moves to its all-but-certain endorsement in the upper house and then goes to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. The legislation punishes what it describes as 'deliberately searching for and accessing extremist materials' online. First-time offenders face a fine of up to the equivalent of $64. The official definition of extremist activity is extremely broad and includes opposition groups like the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the 'international LGBT movement.' It's not clear how authorities will track down violators. Some observers have suggested the information would likely come from internet providers or social media platforms, and police also could randomly check the search history of cellphones or computers. The new legislation also contained a ban on advertising of virtual private network services, but stopped short of banning their use. It did list the use of a VPN as an 'aggravating circumstance' in case of other violations of the law. The Russian authorities have ramped their multipronged crackdown on dissent after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, online censorship and prosecutions for social media posts and comments have soared. Multiple independent news outlets and rights groups have been shut down, labeled as 'foreign agents' or outlawed as 'undesirable.' Hundreds of activists and critics of the Kremlin have faced criminal charges.
San Francisco Chronicle
19 hours ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Russian lawmakers pass a bill punishing online searches for information deemed to be 'extremist'
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed 'extremist,' the latest move by government authorities in their relentless crackdown on dissent. The bill passed by the lower house, the State Duma, moves to its all-but-certain endorsement in the upper house and then goes to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. The legislation punishes what it describes as 'deliberately searching for and accessing extremist materials' online. First-time offenders face a fine of up to the equivalent of $64. The official definition of extremist activity is extremely broad and includes opposition groups like the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the 'international LGBT movement.' It's not clear how authorities will track down violators. Some observers have suggested the information would likely come from internet providers or social media platforms, and police also could randomly check the search history of cellphones or computers. The new legislation also contained a ban on advertising of virtual private network services, but stopped short of banning their use. It did list the use of a VPN as an 'aggravating circumstance' in case of other violations of the law. The Russian authorities have ramped their multipronged crackdown on dissent after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, online censorship and prosecutions for social media posts and comments have soared. Multiple independent news outlets and rights groups have been shut down, labeled as 'foreign agents' or outlawed as 'undesirable.' Hundreds of activists and critics of the Kremlin have faced criminal charges. The new legislation has sparked broad public criticism. Liberal politician Boris Nadezhdin, who sought to challenge Putin in last year's presidential election but was denied a spot on the ballot, told reporters outside the State Duma that he opposed the new legislation. Nadezhdin's aide, Dmitry Kisiev, who picketed the parliament building with a poster likening the legislation to the world of George Orwell's dystopian '1984,' was quickly rounded up by police, who also detained several reporters covering the protest. Even some pro-Kremlin figures have criticized the bill, arguing it would make it impossible for them to track down and deflect comments by Kremlin critics. Yekaterina Mizulina, whose group Safe Internet League has frequently reported dissenters to authorities, has strongly condemned the new bill, arguing it would make it impossible for her group to monitor 'extremist communities' on the web.
