Latest news with #StateDuma
TimesLIVE
an hour ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
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 (R1,119), 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.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Russian MPs vote to ban films over ‘traditional values'
Russia's lower house of parliament has approved a law that bans licenses for movies seen as discrediting or denying 'traditional values.' If adopted by the upper house and signed into law by the president, the measure will take effect in March 2026, according to the State Duma's official website. In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a decree listing 17 traditional values – such as patriotism, dignity, and strong family – as central to Russia's state policy. Intended to preserve national identity, the move pushes back against what the Kremlin sees as Western moral decline. The new law will allow authorities to deny or revoke rental certificates for movies that undermine 'traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.' The Culture Ministry will be able to revoke licenses for films that violate the law, while media watchdog Roskomnadzor can order streaming platforms and social networks to take down such content within 24 hours. Critics have warned that even cherished Soviet-era classics could be endangered by the new law. One notable example is 'The Irony of Fate', a film traditionally watched by Russians on New Year's Eve, which features a storyline where a woman leaves her fiancé to spend the night with a stranger. Though not directly tied to demographics, the law comes amid growing concern over falling birth rates. Lawmakers have responded with proposals including tax breaks, abortion limits, and a crackdown on child-free ideology. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova warned of a looming fertility crisis due to a declining number of women of childbearing age, and President Vladimir Putin has said the fertility rate must reach 2.1 within five years to reverse the trend. Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, has stressed that 'Russia's demographic issues cannot be resolved without reinforcing the family institution and upholding traditional values.' In July, Russian MP Vitaly Milonov, a staunch supporter of 'traditional Russian values' and vocal critic of the 'child-free' ideology, proposed banning childless women from films. He argues that portraying strong, independent women without children encourages Russians to delay marriage and childbirth.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Russia to fine people for searching for 'extremist' content
Russia to fine people for searching for 'extremist' content (Image: AP) 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. Protesters call it "something out of 1984" Several activists and a journalist from the Russian newspaper Kommersant 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. Meanwhile, Duma spokesperson said the bill was aimed at "those trying to destroy and ruin Russia" by using the internet.
Korea Herald
12 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)
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- 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
