As reported by Reuters, Lawmakers in the Russian parliament have presented draft legislation on Thursday that if passed could block internet access to US social media giants. United Russian Party members mentioned that they received complaints against US-based social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, for highlighting and labelling Russian media outlets like Russia Today, RIA Novosti and Crimea 24.
Twitter has started labelling media handles from Russia and China as ‘state-affiliated media’. However, these labels are not just limited to Twitter. Senior staffs of media outlets and government officials also have the same with their social media handles.
Authors of the bill state, “The urgency in adopting the draft law is due to numerous cases of unjustified restriction of Russian citizens’ access to information in the Russian media by certain internet resources, including those registered outside Russia.”
For the bill to come into effect, it needs to be approved initially by the lower house of Russian Parliament – State Duma followed by approval from the upper house and final signing by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov, such measures to counter the situation were needed now more than ever, “There are definitely discriminatory actions against Russian clients of these services. These giants have problems with their clients, they even discriminate against them. Let them deal with their clients, for us the main thing is defending ours from such discrimination.”
The draft mentions that Russia’s prosecutor general and the foreign ministry will select which internet resource to be restricted from the Russian region, depending upon socially important information on nationality, language or connection with the introduction of sanctions against Russia and its citizens.
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