Kremlin cracking down on internet to muzzle critics

MOSCOW: As Vladimir Putin starts his fourth Kremlin term, authorities are turning up the heat on popular websites and apps ostensibly to fight terrorism but analysts say the real motive is to muzzle critics, reports AFP.

A move this week to block the strongly encrypted messenger Telegram, less than a month after Putin's crushing poll win, marks a new stage in the crackdown launched after his previous victory in 2012.

Telegram, which has 200 million users and is ironically the go-to messaging app for top Kremlin officials, was specifically designed by Russian developers to circumvent the Kremlin's security forces.

Putin has gradually brought media, primarily television, under state control since the early 2000s.

Experts say the Kremlin recognises the internet as the principal threat to its domination and one of the last refuges of free speech -- especially after it helped fuel unprecedented mass demonstrations when Putin returned to the presidency six years ago after four years as prime minister.

"The Kremlin got scared and responded with an attack on internet freedoms," said Andrei Soldatov, editor-in-chief of Agentura.ru, a site monitoring the security services.

In the summer of 2012, Russia created a blacklist of sites showing child pornography or drug use and also those deemed to be "extremist" -- a term vague enough to include opposition activism. The professed intention of the move was to protect children from harmful content online.

Two years later, the parliament unleashed a barrage of new anti-terrorist laws, including a ruling that blogs with more than 3,000 viewers per day must face the same strict regulations as news media.

Since then, Russian and foreign internet providers have been legally obliged to store the data of their Russian users in Russia.

This led to the blocking of professional networking site LinkedIn, which did not comply.

Subsequently, new legislation citing terror threats has forced all "distributors of information" -- including boggers and even social media platform VK (formerly VKontakte), its owner Mail.ru, and internet giant Yandex -- to retain all user data for six months and provide it to the authorities on request.

 

Kremlin cracking down on internet to muzzle critics

MOSCOW: As Vladimir Putin starts his fourth Kremlin term, authorities are turning up the heat on popular websites and apps ostensibly to fight terrorism but analysts say the real motive is to muzzle critics, reports AFP. A move this week to block the strongly encrypted messenger Telegram, less than a month after Putins crushing poll win, marks a new stage in the crackdown launched after his previous victory in 2012. Telegram, which has 200 million users and is ironically the go-to messaging app for top Kremlin officials, was specifically designed by Russian developers to circumvent the Kremlins security forces. Putin has gradually brought media, primarily television, under state control since the early 2000s. Experts say the Kremlin recognises the internet as the principal threat to its domination and one of the last refuges of free speech -- especially after it helped fuel unprecedented mass demonstrations when Putin returned to the presidency six years ago after four years as prime minister. The Kremlin got scared and responded with an attack on internet freedoms, said Andrei Soldatov, editor-in-chief of Agentura.ru, a site monitoring the security services. In the summer of 2012, Russia created a blacklist of sites showing child pornography or drug use and also those deemed to be extremist -- a term vague enough to include opposition activism. The professed intention of the move was to protect children from harmful content online. Two years later, the parliament unleashed a barrage of new anti-terrorist laws, including a ruling that blogs with more than 3,000 viewers per day must face the same strict regulations as news media. Since then, Russian and foreign internet providers have been legally obliged to store the data of their Russian users in Russia. This led to the blocking of professional networking site LinkedIn, which did not comply. Subsequently, new legislation citing terror threats has forced all distributors of information -- including boggers and even social media platform VK (formerly VKontakte), its owner Mail.ru, and internet giant Yandex -- to retain all user data for six months and provide it to the authorities on request.