Latest news with #PussyRiot
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia seeks to fine web users searching for content deemed 'extremist'
Russian lawmakers advanced a bill on Tuesday that would fine internet users who search online for web pages, books, artworks or music albums that authorities have deemed "extremist" -- a move critics have called a dangerous attack on freedom. More than 5,000 entries are on the Russian justice ministry's list of "extremist materials", including songs praising Ukraine, blog posts by feminist rock band Pussy Riot and websites critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Deputies in the lower house State Duma backed the bill by 306 votes to 67 and the text will now be sent to Russia's upper house, where it is unlikely to face any major opposition. The legislation would impose fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($64) on anyone found to have deliberately searched for or gained access to material on the list. It was not clear how the bill would work in practice and whether internet service providers or websites would be responsible for monitoring violations. Russian authorities already block access to thousands of websites accused of hosting "extremist" content. If approved by Russia's upper house, the bill will be sent to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. - 'Something out of 1984' - The legislation has drawn rare criticism from across Russia's political spectrum. A few hours before the vote, several activists and a journalist from Russian newspaper Kommersant were arrested for protesting against the bill outside the State Duma. Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin, who organised the protest, said the bill was like "something out of 1984" -- a reference to George Orwell's novel about a totalitarian superstate. "This law punishes thought crimes," he told AFP. The bill was originally about tightening regulation over shipping clerks but evolved as lawmakers covertly inserted amendments, later spotted by the media. Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the legislation was aimed at "those trying to destroy and ruin" Russia using the internet. But others, including the head of a state-sponsored internet safety watchdog, have warned that the legislation could have broader ramifications. The editor-in-chief of pro-Kremlin broadcaster Russia Today, Margarita Simonyan, said the legislation would make it impossible to investigate and expose extremist groups. The bill would also ban advertising for virtual private networks (VPNs) and impose fines for transferring SIM cards to another person, both ways of browsing with more privacy. bur/asy/djt
DW
22-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Russia to fine people for searching for 'extremist' content – DW – 07/22/2025
The lower house of the Russian parliament approved legislation imposing fines on people searching online for content that the authorities deem "extremist." Protesters are calling the bill "something out of 1984." Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill to fine internet users for searching online content that authorities consider "extremist." Unusually, the legislation has drawn criticism from both opposition activists and some pro-government figures. The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, approved the bill with 306 votes in favor and 67 against. The bill will now be sent to Russia's upper house, where it is unlikely to face major opposition. Russia's Ministry of Justice's list of extremist materials spans more than 500 pages and contains over 5,000 entries. These include songs that praise Ukraine and blog posts by the feminist rock band Pussy Riot. The legislation would impose fines of up to 5,000 rubles (€54 or $64) on anyone who searched for or gained access to content material on the list. It is still unclear how the bill would work in practice. The question of whether internet service providers or websites would be responsible for monitoring users' searches remains unanswered. Several activists and a journalist from the Russian newspaper were arrested for protesting against the bill outside the State Duma a few hours before the vote. Opposition politician and protest organizer Boris Nadezhdin compared the bill to "something out of 1984," referencing George Orwell's novel about a totalitarian regime. Duma spokesperson said the bill was aimed at "those trying to destroy and ruin Russia" by using the internet. The editor-in-chief of Russia Today, a Russian propaganda media outlet, said the bill would make it impossible to investigate and expose extremist groups.
Int'l Business Times
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Russia Seeks To Fine Web Users Searching For Content Deemed 'Extremist'
Russian lawmakers advanced a bill on Tuesday that would fine internet users who search online for web pages, books, artworks or music albums that authorities have deemed "extremist" -- a move critics have called a dangerous attack on freedom. More than 5,000 entries are on the Russian justice ministry's list of "extremist materials", including songs praising Ukraine, blog posts by feminist rock band Pussy Riot and websites critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Deputies in the lower house State Duma backed the bill by 306 votes to 67 and the text will now be sent to Russia's upper house, where it is unlikely to face any major opposition. The legislation would impose fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($64) on anyone found to have deliberately searched for or gained access to material on the list. It was not clear how the bill would work in practice and whether internet service providers or websites would be responsible for monitoring violations. Russian authorities already block access to thousands of websites accused of hosting "extremist" content. If approved by Russia's upper house, the bill will be sent to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. The legislation has drawn rare criticism from across Russia's political spectrum. A few hours before the vote, several activists and a journalist from Russian newspaper Kommersant were arrested for protesting against the bill outside the State Duma. Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin, who organised the protest, said the bill was like "something out of 1984" -- a reference to George Orwell's novel about a totalitarian superstate. "This law punishes thought crimes," he told AFP. The bill was originally about tightening regulation over shipping clerks but evolved as lawmakers covertly inserted amendments, later spotted by the media. Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the legislation was aimed at "those trying to destroy and ruin" Russia using the internet. But others, including the head of a state-sponsored internet safety watchdog, have warned that the legislation could have broader ramifications. The editor-in-chief of pro-Kremlin broadcaster Russia Today, Margarita Simonyan, said the legislation would make it impossible to investigate and expose extremist groups. The bill would also ban advertising for virtual private networks (VPNs) and impose fines for transferring SIM cards to another person, both ways of browsing with more privacy.
Express Tribune
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Russia criminalising 'extremist' content
Songs by Pussy Riot are on the list. Photo: File Russian lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bill that would outlaw opening or searching for content online judged "extremist", such as songs glorifying Ukraine and material by feminist rock band Pussy Riot. Critics say the law, which has drawn a rare backlash from across Russia's political spectrum, would stifle internet freedom. Russian authorities already block access to thousands of websites accused of hosting "extremist" content. The latest proposed legislation threatens fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($64) on anyone found to have deliberately searched for or gained access to material listed as extremist by the justice ministry. More than 5,000 entries are on the list, including web pages, political slogans, books, artworks and music albums. Among them are songs glorifying Ukraine, blog posts by feminist rock band Pussy Riot and information on the Wikipedia page for dynamite. Deputies in the lower house State Duma backed the bill by 283 votes to 22 in its second reading. It is not clear whether the government supports the bill. The Kremlin said the proposal needed "more detailed explanations" to allay people's concerns. "I am not familiar with the initiative by the deputies," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to a question from AFP. The bill requires three readings and approval by Russia's upper house before President Vladimir Putin can sign it into law. During Thursday's second reading, lawmaker Alexander Teterdinko of the governing United Russia party said the legislation would only affect those who "deliberately" search for extremist material. "That is to say, if you Google something and material appears in the search results, but you do not click on it, do not read it, do not use it in any way... you will not fall under this article," he said. Others, however, expressed concern over the apparent lack of safeguards. It was not clear how the bill would work in practice, and whether internet service providers or websites would be responsible for monitoring violations.
eNCA
17-07-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Russian deputies back fines for clicking on 'extremist' content
Russian lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bill that would outlaw opening or searching for content online judged "extremist", such as songs glorifying Ukraine and material by feminist rock band Pussy Riot. Critics say the planned law, which has drawn rare criticism from across Russia's political spectrum, would stifle internet freedom. Russian authorities already block access to thousands of websites accused of hosting "extremist" content. The latest proposed legislation threatens fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($64) on anyone found to have deliberately searched for or gained access to material listed as extremist by the justice ministry. More than 5,000 entries are on the list, including web pages, political slogans, books, artworks and music albums. Among them are songs glorifying Ukraine, blog posts by feminist rock band Pussy Riot and information on the Wikipedia page for dynamite. Deputies in the lower house State Duma backed the bill by 283 votes to 22 in its second reading. It is not clear whether the bill has the support of the government. The Kremlin said the proposal needed "more detailed explanations" to allay people's concerns. "I am not familiar with the initiative by the deputies," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to a question from AFP. - 'Attack on basic rights' - The bill requires three readings and approval by Russia's upper house before President Vladimir Putin can sign it into law. During Thursday's second reading, lawmaker Alexander Teterdinko of the governing United Russia party said the legislation would only affect those who "deliberately" search for extremist material. "That is to say, if you Google something and material appears in the search results, but you do not click on it, do not read it, do not use it in any way... you will not fall under this article," he said. Other lawmakers, however, expressed concern over the apparent lack of safeguards. The bill was originally about tightening regulation over shipping clerks, but evolved as lawmakers inserted amendments. Deputy State Duma Speaker Vladislav Davankov called components of the bill an "attack on the basic rights of citizens". Russia's internet safety tsar warned the legislation would stifle her department's work. The bill would also ban advertising for virtual private networks (VPNs) and impose fines for transferring SIM cards to another person, both ways of browsing with more privacy. Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of pro-Kremlin broadcaster Russia Today, said the legislation would make it impossible to investigate and expose extremist groups.
