A new Russian law will fine citizens up to 5,000 rubles for searching online for "extremist" content, raising concerns over digital privacy and self-censorship.
Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, has approved legislation punishing online searches for extremist materials, a move critics say will heighten censorship and jeopardise digital freedoms.
The law targets individuals who intentionally seek out extremist content, including through VPNs, with fines reaching up to 5,000 rubles. The Ministry of Justice’s list of extremist materials spans over 500 pages and includes organisations such as Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Fund and U.S. tech giant Meta Platforms.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, may soon be designated as restricted software. Lawmakers have warned the platform to prepare for a possible exit from Russia, further narrowing the digital space.
Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev said authorities must prove intent, not mere access. Still, rights groups say the law’s vagueness could spur abuse. Yekaterina Mizulina of the League for a Safe Internet called the wording unclear and warned it may lead to fraud and extortion.
Critics like Roskomsvoboda’s Sarkis Darbinyan see the law as a tool to instil fear and increase self-censorship, with users likely to abandon apps and online communities.
Although the law still awaits approval from the Federation Council before taking effect on 1 September, it has already sparked political pushback. Opposition figure Boris Nadezhdin protested outside the Duma, vowing to challenge the law's advancement.
Unusually, 14.9% of lawmakers voted against the bill, with 22 abstaining—indicating a level of dissent rarely seen in Russia’s legislative process.
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On Monday, Russian drones deliberately struck a SOCAR oil depot in Ukraine's southern Odesa region for the second time in two weeks, according to Ukrainian officials.
A Russian air attack overnight on a residential area in Kharkiv has killed three people, including a toddler, and injured 17 others, Ukrainian authorities said on Monday, as the United States presses Kyiv to take a quick deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar has called on Russia to guarantee it will not interfere in Hungary’s politics, saying any future cooperation depends on respecting the country’s sovereignty.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
'Superman' continued to dominate the summer box office, pulling in another $57.25 million in its second weekend, as theatres welcome a wave of blockbuster competition following a challenging few years for the film industry.
Honduras has brought back mask mandates as COVID-19 cases and a new variant surge nationwide.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he expected Russian President Vladimir Putin to release more than 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners soon, after a trilateral meeting was set up with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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