Why Russia wants a new law restricting Internet freedoms and will it work?

Record ID: 2007430

  • Title: Why Russia wants a new law restricting Internet freedoms and will it work?
  • Date: 22nd July 2025
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JULY 18, 2025) (REUTERS) WOMEN WALKING ALONG STREET WHATSAPP MESSENGER LOGO READING (Russian): 'OFFICIAL WHATSAPP USER ACCOUNT' / PEOPLE CROSSING ROAD MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JULY 21, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF IT EXPERT GERMAN KLIMENKO, A FORMER AIDE TO PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN ON INTERNET DEVELOPMENT, TALKING TO REUTERS REPTILE FIGURE AT KLIMENKO'S OFFICE (SOUNDB
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: BILL CENSORSHIP INTERNET MAX RUSSIA VPN WHATSAPP
  • Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION
  • City: MOSCOW, RUSSIA / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Fundamental Rights/Civil Liberties,Europe,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA006137121072025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Russian lawmakers on Tuesday (July 22) approved legislation imposing fines on people reading and searching online for content that the authorities deem "extremist", a tightening of censorship that could have sweeping ramifications for digital privacy and the fate of WhatsApp in Russia.
    The legislation, passed by parliament's lower house, the State Duma, has drawn criticism from some pro-government figures, as well as opposition activists. Opponents say the fines it prescribes, of up to 5,000 roubles ($63.82), could open the door to tougher charges and penalties.
    The Ministry of Justice's list of extremist materials stretches to more than 500 pages. Entities banned in Russia for carrying out "extremist activities" include late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund, the "international LGBT movement" and U.S. tech giant Meta Platforms.
    Last week, lawmakers who regulate the IT sector said Meta-owned WhatsApp should prepare to leave the Russian market as it was likely to be added to a list of restricted software.
    The new legislation targets people who knowingly search for extremist materials online, including through virtual private networks (VPN) that millions of people across Russia use to bypass censorship and access banned content.
    "This bill concerns a very narrow group of people, who look for extremist content because they themselves are already one step away from extremism," Sergei Boyarsky, head of the Duma's information technology committee, told Duma TV.
    Former lawmaker and Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin staged a protest outside parliament early on Tuesday, ahead of the vote in the chamber.
    Nadezhdin who unsuccessfully ran against Vladimir Putin in a presidential election in 2024, told reporters on Tuesday the proposed legislation was "Orwellian". He claimed current lawmakers from a cross-section of parties in parliament were opposed to the bill.         
    It was not immediately clear how the authorities would determine intent in an online search. 
    "WhatsApp is trying, let's say, to move very slowly, however, to create channels. That is not just communication between two people or three in groups, but as a kind of mass information source. And that's a big issue (for the Russian government). The state understands that it wants to control this, and by creating Max (messenger), it can fully control it," Denis Kuskov, head of information at 'Telecom Daily', an analytical agency told Reuters in Moscow.      
    Moscow has long sought to establish what it calls digital sovereignty by promoting home-grown services, including a new state-backed messaging app, MAX, but many people across Russia still rely on foreign platforms.
     
    German Klimenko, an IT expert and a former presidential aide on Internet development believes the Russian authorities have the tools to manage and control internet access.
    "I don't see technical difficulties banning almost all of the VPNs (virtual private networks) now, because it's clear how it all works and switch into "China mode." When people bring up the Great Firewall as a scare tactic, they forget it was built years ago and back then it was very expensive to create such a system. But time has passed, the technologies have advanced. Now, all it would take is adapting existing threat detection systems and just like that, 90% of VPNs could be shut down," Klimenko told Reuters. 
    But he dismissed the idea that Russian developed messager apps would be used as a monitoring tool. 
    "Reading (people's conversations in messengers) that’s all very abstract. No one can read the conversations of 100 million people. This will be just white noise, relatively speaking," added Klimenko. 
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