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Russia's Internet Blacklist Law Takes Effect

Posted by timothy on from the age-limits-don'tcha-know dept.

another random user writes with this report from the BBC "A law that aims to protect children from harmful internet content by allowing the government to take sites offline has taken effect in Russia. The authorities are now able to blacklist and force offline certain websites without a trial. The law was approved by both houses of parliament and signed by President Vladimir Putin in July. If the websites themselves cannot be shut down, internet service providers (ISPs) and web hosting companies can be forced to block access to the offending material."

25 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. Sick of the "for the children" excuse. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'd have so much more respect for governments if they'd just come out and say "we're doing it because fuck you people who think different."

    1. Re:Sick of the "for the children" excuse. by Dan+East · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Russia has the 4th highest alcohol consumption per capita in the world (behind Moldova, Czech Republic and Hungary - all former Soviet republics), with no laws specifying a minimum drinking age (minimum age to purchase is 18). Why not think of those children first if they're hell bent on making laws protecting children?

      --
      Better known as 318230.
    2. Re:Sick of the "for the children" excuse. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well, TFA says that a poll taken in July when the law was passed, shows that the Russian people support the blacklist 62% to 16%. The Russian government seems to have the support of the people on this issue.

      That's always been a danger of democracy: it's very easy for the population to vote away their freedom, but once gone, it's not so easy to get it back.

    3. Re:Sick of the "for the children" excuse. by Jeng · · Score: 2

      If you read a story about a poll in China where 90% or more of the Chinese people support censorship would you believe the poll?

      I find all polls suspect, some more than others.

      --
      Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
    4. Re:Sick of the "for the children" excuse. by poetmatt · · Score: 2

      Russia? The land known for being the absolutely worst for polls? Where polls have greater than 100% turnout?

      Excuse me if I'm extremely skeptical that even a single individual voted positively for a blacklist without being under political duress or physical coercion, let alone manipulation.

    5. Re:Sick of the "for the children" excuse. by war4peace · · Score: 3, Informative

      Wow, your history knowledge is unbelievably messed up.
      Moldova is indeed a former Soviet Union Republic. Others are not.
      Also, minimum legal age to drink alcoholic beverages is usually 18. That applies to both purchase AND drinking itself. But, to be honest, even if laws do exist, they need to also be enforced, which doesn't really happen.

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    6. Re:Sick of the "for the children" excuse. by alexo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, TFA says that a poll taken in July when the law was passed, shows that the Russian people support the blacklist 62% to 16%. The Russian government seems to have the support of the people on this issue.

      Of course.

      The Russian people is known to be very active in their support for their government.
      In fact, in the last parliamentary elections, the voter turnout was up to 146%.

      You cannot argue with such numbers.

    7. Re:Sick of the "for the children" excuse. by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 2

      You do realise that the progress towards free press has been dismantled by the Kremlin in recent years. The journalists are routinely brutally killed or disappeared, and their cases not investigated. So the Kremlin puts out whatever news it likes, even bizarre stuff, and there is no-one to challenge it. Reasonable people are presented with sets of facts designed to funnel their conclusion (yes this happens in the Free World, but there are alternative news sources counter-balancing the worst of it).

      So it is probably fair to say that "polls" in contemporary Russia need to viewed with a great deal of skepticism. Far more important are what the dissenting views have to say (although they are systematically being stifled by the regime).

  2. Another backward contry goes crazy over internet. by alexmin · · Score: 2

    How come this is news to anyone?

  3. Coming soon to the USA by banbeans · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "for the children"

  4. Fuck Vladimir Putin and his commie-pedo friends by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... Will they ban slashdot for this?

  5. first on the list by wbr1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    First is any site praising pussy riot. Pussy is bad for children you know.
    In Putins's Russia, government fucks pussy.

    --
    Silence is a state of mime.
  6. Is this part of by bobstreo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The UN takeover of the Internet? Or just a portent of the way things will work in the future?

    Clippy says "I see you're trying to access a site that we think you shouldn't. Would you like me to report you to the authorities?"

    1. Re:Is this part of by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 2

      Russia (and others) are pushing for ITU/UN regulation of the Internet (rather than the US). It is so Russia's internet policy can be applied to the whole of the Internet (rather than having pesky off-shore sites tell the uncomfortable truth).

      ... and yet we still have educated Slashdotters thinking it would be good if the Internet was handed over without a fight so that UN member nations could extend their censorship laws worldwide (whether for reglious, political or ideological reasons).

      Don't give the ideal of Free Speech without a fight - which means don't allow the surrendering of the Free Internet to the corrupt and biased UN without making some noise! More importantly, don't be so anti-Western that you'll apologize for the anti-democratic, fascist and theocratic regimes that want to make this happen.

      Don't appease, oppose!

  7. In the first place... by cvtan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The internet was not meant for children.
    There is no second place.
    What's next? Make the internet safe for babies and kittens?

    --
    Sorry, but gray text on gray background is making my eyes bleed.
  8. This is going to work well by Zemran · · Score: 2

    They have some of the best web programmers there and a healthy disregard for the authority. I see so many holes appearing on the Berlin Firewall that it will be more of a joke than the Chinese version.

    --
    I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
    1. Re:This is going to work well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "I see so many holes appearing on the Berlin Firewall that[...]"

      You do know that Berlin is in Germany, right? We're talking about Russia here.

    2. Re:This is going to work well by 21mhz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Agreed, my young friend, though the Berlin Wall was built by East Germany which was a Soviet puppet state.
      A better pun would be the Tinfoil Curtain, to harken back to the Iron Curtain of old.
      Even then, people were able to listen to shortwave stations from the West, despite jamming. The current attempt is bound to failure, it will cause inconvenience at worst and breed more dissent.

      --
      My exception safety is -fno-exceptions.
    3. Re:This is going to work well by firesyde424 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I knew the world was going down the tubes when I was working on a computer in a social studies class at the high school. The teacher was talking about the elections in Russia. At one point, a teenage girl near the front raises her hand and asks: "Where is Russia? Thats like... in South America, isn't it?"

      What scared me was not that the girl asked the question but that she did not get laughed out of the class by nearly as many of her classmates and she should have.

  9. Re:Another backward contry goes crazy over interne by jameshofo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Because its a country that has taken the steps to categorize and censor the internet to a set standard, at face value the intent is pure. But what does that mean? It means they have the power and most notably the interest to "blacklist and force offline certain websites without a trial.". So yea I'd say that's news, even if it isn't "U.S. news".

    --
    Good leaders run toward problems, bad leaders hide from them.
  10. great extortion opportunity by RichMan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Anyone think the Russian system is immune to manipulation for profit?

    You want your web company to succeed, you pay the man or go offline.

  11. Re:Another backward contry goes crazy over interne by Jeng · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Because we all hoped that Russia would stop being backwards, and here we have Russia taking backwards to a whole other level.

    The Russian people had a chance at freedom, but they lost it.

    --
    Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
  12. Re:No surprise... by SuricouRaven · · Score: 3, Informative

    The US *does* shut down porn sites. Technically, all internet pornography is illegal in the US. It's just a law that no-one bothers to enforce any more. Occasionally a DA or AG will try to prove his family credentials by taking on a porn site, but it's just embarassing even when they win.

  13. Re:Another backward contry goes crazy over interne by TemperedAlchemist · · Score: 2

    Ah yes, this is how it starts. It's for the children, we say. We put up cameras in the street. This is for the children. We allow unwarranted searches. This is for the children. We must stop all depraved content from poisoning our children's minds. And before we realize it, we are once again ensnared in tyranny.

    How long before the state's power, unchecked, begins to run amok? How long before the safety of the children becomes the safety of the state? Not long, I'd wager. Enjoy your child's safety while it lasts. Because when it ends, it will not be the internet, child predators, and thieves that you will fear. No, dear parents and concerned citizens, it is from the government -- your government. You gave up freedom, now pay the price.

    I implore you, dear people, while there is still time left. Remember, remember the fifth of November.

  14. Not much different from US of A by Vicarius · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How is this different from FBI shutting child pornography websites, or taking over DNS records of websites that infringe copyrights? I am not saying that what Russians are doing is right, but lets not forget that we already have the same system and laws in place over here.

    As for "save the children" argument that Russians used, I believe pretty much the same argument was used to give US law enforcement power to prosecute child pornography cases. It is hard to argue that government had some other intentions, but if it Russians...then of course they have to be different and have to have an ulterior motive.