Hundreds of Russian bloggers registered with media regulator

Russia’s media watchdog has classified 640 blogs and online communities as equal to the media, making their content subject to certain restrictions, the watchdog said on its Twitter page Monday. Under the law adopted last year, bloggers and Internet users with public web pages visited by more than 3,000 people a day are eligible for inclusion on a register run by media watchdog Roskomnadzor. They can register voluntarily for the list, or be put on the list at Roskomnazdor’s behest.

These bloggers must then disclose their identities and follow the rules that apply to media outlets — checking facts, avoiding obscene language, not publishing extremist materials and not disclosing private information. The law was widely criticized by popular bloggers, who claimed it would be applied selectively.