| The Moscow Times Jul. 23 2014 19:50 Last edited 19:51 The law, which comes into effect on Aug. 1, obliges bloggers with a daily audience upward of 3,000 unique visitors to register with the state and disclose their identities. Popular bloggers will also have to follow the state laws governing mass media — i.e. avoid false information and expletives, and post no porn or extremist materials — though they get none of the media's rights. Disobedient bloggers could face blacklisting by the Federal Mass Media Inspection Service. [...] The law's numerous critics have claimed it could be used for political persecution. | In March, Ksenzov's agency blacklisted access to the highly popular LiveJournal blog of anti-corruption crusader and opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accusing him of promoting mass riots. Russia has radically tightened Internet regulations since the outbreak of grassroots anti-Kremlin protests in 2011 to 2013, which were coordinated online, including by Navalny. Ksenzov also spoke in May of a possible ban in Russia on Twitter and Facebook, though that earned him a rebuke from Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Source - The Moscow Times - July 2014 - here. Owner: Sanoma Oyj - Finland |
Well, that's a bit crap for Russian bloggers. But it's old news from a couple of months ago.
On the bright side, looks like LiveJournal's head has found a way to bypass impediments to blogging:
| LiveJournal head Dmitry Pilipenko announced that all LiveJournal subscription counts would stop at 2,500, with only bloggers and moderators able to see the real number. Page view-based rankings will also stop. "The above changes are based on plans to take measures to optimize the service," Pilipenko insisted. "All coincidences are accidental." Source - The Verge - May 2014 - here. |
However, there's a few other communications blocks:
| Russia passed a sweeping internet-filtering bill in 2012, and the Kremlin has increasingly used its power to pressure critical media outlets. In December of last year, Putin dissolved the venerable RIA Novosti news service, putting its remains under the control of a supporter. A month later, Pavel Durov, founder of "Russian Facebook" VKontakte, sold his stake to an ally of Putin. Popular opposition blogger Alexei Navalny saw his blog blocked by ISPs in March; the news site of chess champion Garry Kasparov, among others, was also caught up in the crackdown. Along with the "blogger law," Putin also signed a bill barring profanity in films, theater, and other media, though its full scope is unclear. Source - The Verge - May 2014 - here. |
Why the war on profanity, for fuck's sake? That's just plain weird.
Probably after the churchy votes?
