Latest news with #Roskomnadzor
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia's State Duma passes bill to create state messaging app as it considers blocking WhatsApp
The State Duma, the lower chamber of Russia's parliament, passed a bill on June 10 to create a new messaging app, the so-called "national messenger," the Duma's press service reported, as the Kremlin tries to reduce its dependency on WhatsApp and Telegram The new app "combines the features of a messenger and the functions of government services," a statement read. The news comes as Russia tries to reduce citizens' access to foreign messengers and other online services in favor of domestic applications. The new online platform is needed to increase "the availability of governmental services" and "strengthen the protection of information exchanged among users," according to the bill. The new application will be integrated into Russian state and municipal databases, and private information can be transferred with the user's consent, particularly for "identification, signing contracts, paying for services or goods." Documents submitted through the "national messenger" will be equated to paper originals. The system will also allow users to certify documents with their electronic signatures. The Russian messenger will include all "educational services and chats that educational institutions of all levels currently use." The Russian government will choose a company to develop the application. In March 2022, the Russian government blocked Facebook and Instagram. Two years later, Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced the blocking of Viber and Signal apps. The Russian government is also considering blocking WhatsApp, an app owned by Meta, a company labeled as an "extremist organization" in Russia. In July 2024, Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, began throttling YouTube speeds, initially blaming technical issues caused by wear and tear on Google's servers. Google dismissed the claim, while Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein later confirmed the slowdowns were intentional. Read also: In African universities, Russia's war against Ukraine finds new supporters We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Fast Company
21-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Putin's dream of a state-controlled internet is becoming a reality
Russians seeking an online window to the outside world are finding their options rapidly diminishing as Vladimir Putin's government strips app stores of VPNs. Last week, Roskomnadzor, Russia's internet authority, ordered three major app stores to remove virtual private networks (VPNs) from public availability. Roughly one in four Russians report using VPNs to avoid detection by Russia's pervasive internet monitoring tools—systems designed to suppress dissent within the country. The VPN bans are the latest in a long series of similar crackdowns. According to TechRadar, more than 50 VPNs available elsewhere are inaccessible in the Russian Google Play Store. This is despite Google showing more resistance than many other app store providers to Russia's censorship demands. Still, the trend signals a worrying shift toward sweeping digital restrictions. 'Russia's increasing push to remove VPN apps from major app stores is part of a coordinated strategy to cut citizens off from uncensored information and secure communication tools,' warns Alexey Kozliuk, chair of the VPN Guild, an industry group.
Russia Today
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Harry Potter could be banned in Russia
Russia's new laws against the promotion of illegal 'childfree' ideology could potentially target popular films and TV series like 'Harry Potter' and 'Game of Thrones', the Parliamentary Newspaper claimed on Monday. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill prohibiting the promotion of childlessness and aimed at preventing the dissemination of materials that encourage the rejection of parenthood through the media, films, advertising and online. Content found to violate these rules can be blocked and those who publish it may face fines up to 400,000 rubles ($5,000) for individuals and up to 5 million rubles ($62,000) for officials and legal entities. Russia's Ministry of Culture and media watchdog Roskomnadzor has now introduced its own definition of what content could be considered to be in violation of the legislation. The criteria are set to come into force in September. According to the Parliamentary Newspaper, the register of prohibited information will include content that 'encourages or justifies the refusal to have children,' demonstrates a 'negative image' of pregnancy and parenthood, or forms 'distorted ideas' about the advantages of refusing to have kids. The outlet has suggested that a number of popular movies and TV shows could potentially fall under these criteria if regulators dig deep enough to find representations of childfree ideology. For example, the newspaper suggested that the Harry Potter franchise could end up being banned due to the character of Professor McGonagall who was not shown to have children in the films. Another candidate is 'Game of Thrones', where the character of Brienne had chosen to become a knight instead of being a mother. The popular series 'Sex and the City' could also be on the chopping block because the character of Samatha demonstrates 'obvious childree tendencies,' according to the Parliamentary Newspaper. The same could supposedly be said for Claire from the 'House of Cards' TV Show, who put her career first and showed no regret over not having children. However, Roskomnadzor officials have told the outlet that the decision to block content would be carried out on an individual basis and said that the watchdog's experts have not yet conducted any such examinations. The regulator later released a statement saying it has no plans to ban either Harry Potter or Game of Thrones over childfree propaganda concerns. Russia's Ministry of Culture has also responded to the Parliamentary Newspaper article by pointing out that the aforementioned films and series have already lost their distribution certificates due to the departure of their copyright holders from the country. It also clarified that the ministry does not have the power to block content on the internet. The Harry Potter franchise has been massively popular in Russia, having sold millions of books and grossed over $50 million in theaters over the years. However, the films and novels have been absent from official digital and physical stores in the country since 2022 when most Western media companies pulled their licenses over the escalation of the Ukraine conflict.
Russia Today
19-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Apple slapped with $93,000 LGBTQ propaganda fine in Russia
A Moscow court on Monday fined US tech giant Apple 7.5 million rubles ($93,000) for violating Russian laws against spreading LGBTQ propaganda. In April, the company was accused of breaching Part 3 of Article 6.21 of Russia's Administrative Violations Code, which covers online promotion of non-traditional sexual relations and preferences, gender reassignment, and child-free ideology. In a statement posted on Telegram, court officials said Moscow's Tagansky Court has 'found Apple Distribution International Ltd. guilty of three administrative offences' under Article 6.21 and imposed a fine of over $30,000 for each violation. The case stems from the distribution of a television series on Apple's streaming platform that included scenes promoting non-traditional sexual relations, RBK business outlet reported, citing statements by Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor. The hearing was held behind closed doors due to what was described as confidential information related to the company's services and internal communications. No further details were disclosed by the court or the parties involved. Russia has tightened its laws dealing with LGBTQ propaganda over the past decade. In 2013, the dissemination of related content among minors was banned, with the restrictions broadened to cover adults in 2022. Last year, the country designated the LGBTQ movement as a terrorist organization. In a separate Monday ruling, the Tagansky Court fined Apple more than $37,000 for failing to delete content deemed illegal under Russian law. The company has faced similar penalties in the past, including a $10,000 fine in January of 2024 for failing to remove Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's book, 'Mein Kampf,' which is listed as extremist material in Russia, from its Apple Books application.
Miami Herald
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Russia Seeks to Ban Game Of Thrones, Harry Potter Over ‘Childfree Ideology'
Russia is going after TV series Game of Thrones, Sex and the City, and the Harry Potter franchise in an effort to purge what it claims is the promotion of "childfree ideology." The development comes months after Russia passed a bill banning what state-run news wires describe as the "public propaganda of the ideas of voluntarily choosing not to have children." It comes as Russia grapples with a dwindling birth rate and as President Vladimir Putin scrambles to encourage women to have children. For decades Russia has been experiencing a plunging birth rate and population decline, and this appears to have worsened amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, with high casualty rates and men fleeing the country to avoid being conscripted to fight. It is estimated that Russia's population will fall to about 132 million in the next two decades. The United Nations has predicted that in a worst-case scenario, by the start of the next century, Russia's population could almost halve to 83 million, Newsweek previously reported. On September 1, an order by Russia's telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor will come into effect which will ban "childfree ideology", local media reported. The "Parliamentary Newspaper", the official weekly publication of Russia's Federal Assembly, reported that films with so-called childfree propaganda "will not receive distribution certificates." "Administrators of digital platforms, including social networks and online cinemas, must promptly remove illegal content," it said. "The dissemination of the ideology of conscious refusal to have children in the media, the Internet, films and advertising is prohibited in Russia." According to the publication, content that will be banned will include information that encourages or justifies the refusal to have children, which creates a positive attitude towards it; informs [viewers] about the advantages of refusing to have children over having children or form distorted ideas about their social equivalence; demonstrates a negative image of pregnancy, motherhood, fatherhood, or create a positive attitude towards childlessness, which can motivate people to refuse to have children. Possible contenders could include Sex and the City, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Harry Potter. "Even in the harmless Harry Potter saga, as it seems to us, one can find a hint of childfree [ideology]: Professor McGonagall did not have children. However, it is unknown whether this was a conscious choice or something did not work out," the publication said. A leading Russian demographer said last month that Russia's birth rate has fallen to a historic low, reaching levels not seen since the late 18th to early 19th century. Russian authorities have restricted access to abortions and contraception and have even offered pregnant women payouts in a bid to encourage the population to have children. In 2023, Valery Seleznyov, a member of the Russian State Duma, proposed releasing women convicted of minor charges from prisons so they can conceive. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, a member of the Russia's ruling United Russia party, said when the bill passed in September 2024: "Without children, there will be no country." The press service of the United Russia party said in September 2024: "The bill banning propaganda of childfree [ideology] was submitted to the State Duma." Elvira Aitkulova, one of the authors of the bill and member of the State Duma Committee on education, previously said that the bill is "about the propaganda of childfree ideology, but not about the lifestyle and choices of each individual." Individuals who violate the ban face fines of up to 400,000 rubles (about $5,000), while officials could be fined up to 800,000 rubles (about $10,000). Companies could be slapped with fines of up to 5 million rubles (about $62,300). Related Articles Putin's Trump Card in UkraineRussia Detains US Ally's Ship in NATO LakeRussian TV Mocks Trump's Peace Plan: 'Which One of Them?'Romanian Exit Polls Show Clear Winner as Rival Declares Victory 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
