Russia's State Duma approves law criminalising online searches for extremist content
The lower house of parliament passed legislation that criminalises searches for content deemed extremist, imposes fines, and tightens censorship, while Telegram founder Pavel Durov criticised the impact on digital sovereignty.
The State Duma approved a law on Tuesday that criminalises online searches for content the government classifies as ‘extremist’, according to theprint.in. The legislation also permits fines of up to 5,000 roubles for such searches, including those conducted via virtual private networks, theprint.in reported. The same source said the law tightens censorship in Russia.
Pavel Durov said that internet blocks in Russia have pushed the country further from digital sovereignty, Meduza reported. Durov also wrote that a Russian official who, in his view, undermined the internet and set the country back by decades under the guise of ‘digital sovereignty’ deserves a national security medal from the United States, MoscowTimes reported.
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