The Russian deputies have proposed to restrict access to web-sites of organisations, which have been avowed unwelcomed in Russia, in other words persona non grata, without court order. Under proposed draft law if the prosecutor or his deputies would identify the web-site of organisation, whose activity in Russia has been admitted unwelcomed, the Russian Roskomnadzor can order to restrict access to such web-site only under requirement of prosecutor or his deputy without court order.
Currently there are in Russia 11 organisations non grata. In future there can be more such organisations. Therefore the procedure, under which restriction of access should be swifter for Russian authorities, is to be more optimal. The draft law has passed the first reading in the Russian state duma. It should be adopted quickly and it seems it will be adopted very fast. The Roskomnadzor would have authority to decide, whether one or another web-site is to be blocked under new law.
But the experts are not positive about proposed law. They believe new law can provide opportunity to block not only web-sites of organisations non grata, but also to block other content available in internet for users, residing in Russia. The proposed procedure will simplify the restriction of access to materials “under the decision of officer, without any opportunity to object such decision and without transparent procedures to exclude blocked web-sites from black list”.
German Klimenko, the counsellor of Russian president on internet, stated, that “practice has shown that laws, adopted by previous members of Russian state duma, are implemented only in relation to Russian legal entities. Foreign persons abide the Russian law fragmentary and at their own discretion”. “From the point of view, what concerns an internet regulation, it does not make a sense to adopt new laws, which don’t take into account the cross-border and technical features of global network. It does make a sense to analyse the laws, already adopted in Russia, and try to map out legislative initiatives, which could streamline implementation of adopted legal acts”, – he said.