Yesterday President Putin signed two controversial laws which may have a significant impact on Internet information in Russia.
Containing a series of amendments to Article 153 of the Federal Law On Information, Information Technology and Protection of Information, the first law provides the authorities with larger legal grounds to combat what they may consider to be fake news.
Said amendments aim to “curb the distribution, under the guise of reliable news, of unreliable, socially important information,” according to the Kremlin’s official website, whenever such information “creates a threat to public safety and/or health, property, the threat of mass disturbance of public order and/or public security or the threat of interference with, or termination of the functioning of facilities for life support, transport or social infrastructure, lending institutions, energy facilities, industry and communications.”
Should such information be disseminated by an online publication, editors will be notified in advance and required to remove the offending content. In case of non-compliance, the site may be blocked, according to the amendments.
Online news outlets and users that spread “unreliable information” will face fines of up to 1.5 million rubles (almost $23,000 at the current exchange rate) for repeat offenses, according to the amended law.
Against “contempt” for society, state symbols and the authorities
Amending art. 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences, the second law signed by President Putin establishes administrative liability for disseminating information that “expresses contempt for society, the state and official state symbols” via electronic networks.
The amendments target “any information that expresses in any obscene form, insulting human dignity and public morals, clear contempt for society, the state, official state symbols of the Russian Federation, the Constitution of the Russian Federation or bodies of state authority of the Russian Federation.” Such administrative offences fall within the jurisdiction of judges.
President Putin also signed amendments to Article 153 of the Federal Law On Information, Information Technology and Protection of Information to restrict access to such obscenities. The Prosecutor General will request the responsible federal executive body “to take steps to delete such information and restrict access to information resources spreading such information,” should these resources fail to withdraw the offending content.
Insulting state symbols or the authorities will carry a fine of up to 300,000 rubles (nearly $4,700) and 15 days in jail for repeat offenses.
On March 11, Russia’s Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights called the upper house of parliament to reject both bills in their current form. The bills use excessively vague terminology and contain a number of potential loopholes that could be abused, the Presidential Council argued.
Meanwhile, more than 100 journalists and public figures signed a petition opposing the laws, which they consider to be “direct censorship.” Among the signatories are human rights activist Zoya Svetova and popular novelist Lyudmila Ulitskaya, as reported by The Moscow Times. The Kremlin, however, denied that the legislation amounts to censorship.
