New Russian law criminalizes online searches for controversial content • FRANCE 24 English

Russia’s proposed bill on finding internet users for accessing online content labeled as extremist by Russian authorities is stirring fierce debate among pro- Kremlin voices. The so-called extremist content ranges from songs glorifying Ukraine, blog posts by feminist rock bands to Wikipedia pages on dynamite. Anyone who with or without a VPN goes on, for example, Instagram, which is already recognized as an extremist community, and same for Facebook. Twitter and YouTube have not yet. And those who for any reason access the 6,000 extremist materials listed, books, film, music, all of them will be subject to appropriate fines. But lawmakers assure that only the deliberate search for extremist material would result in fines of€5,000 rubles or €55. If you Googled something and this material came up in the search bar, but you purposely did not go in, did not familiarize yourself with it, did not use it in any way, you will not be subject under this law. The bill has prompted concern from other lawmakers and experts on the increased surveillance and possible abuse by law enforcement. The head of the Kremlin aligned safe internet league Yukatina Mizulina warned that the legislation could backfire on police or authorities crackdown on descent. What’s most striking is that under the draft law, even interior ministry officials monitoring such content could technically be acting illegally and any private citizen who reports say potential school shooters to law enforcement could also face fines. The Kremlin has declined to comment, but acknowledged that the bill has sparked a strong public reaction. The bill requires three readings and approval by the state doomer’s upper house before President Putin can sign it into law. If passed, it would take effect on September 1st.

Russian lawmakers on Thursday approved a contentious law that significantly broadens the government’s power to penalize internet users — not for posting banned content, but merely for searching or viewing it. Liza Kaminov has more.
#Russianlaw #online #controversialcontent

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23 comments

  2. 🔊 Stop Silent Censorship: End Shadow Banning Without Transparency

    We live in a world where attention is power — and today, that power is controlled by a few social media platforms. Without your knowledge or consent, they can limit your voice, hide your content, and silence your opinions through shadow banning.

    ❗ Shadow banning is secret censorship.
    You can still post, but no one sees it. You are silenced — without warning, without reason, without appeal.

    This isn’t content moderation. This is narrative control.
    It allows platforms to promote some ideas and bury others in the algorithmic graveyard — all behind a curtain of “trust and safety” that nobody voted for.

    We demand:

    ✅ Full transparency — if content is limited, users must be told.
    ✅ The right to appeal — silence without trial is tyranny.
    ✅ Algorithmic accountability — no more hidden manipulation of public debate.

    This affects everyone — left, right, center, activist, artist, citizen.
    Free speech doesn’t mean anything if you’re invisible.

    ⚠️ In the digital age, shadow banning is the soft weapon of silent regimes.
    Let’s make it illegal to silence people without telling them.

  3. Increasing crackdown on their own people. That typically happens when regimes start their last chapter before a revolution

  17. Russians in Russia, Ukraine's fighting back for their FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY with you Russians. Go home to Russia and take over your freedom and democracy fr8m KREMLIN 😂

  22. 5000 roubles fine, probably about 25 pence soon..! They really must be going bankrupt they're fining people for using Wikipedia! Meanwhile 'where have a million flowers gone' …? dead in Ukraine.

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