The Russian parliament’s upper house quickly approved a bill on Friday that punished “extremists” who searched for official brands online, the latest in a series of actions by the authorities to strengthen control over the Internet.
The legislation imposes fines for what it describes as “deliberate search and access to extremist materials” online, with a fine of up to $64.
The bill was endorsed by the House of Commons earlier this week and will now be signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.
The official definition of extremist activities is very broad, including opposition groups created by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the “International LGBT Movement.”
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It is unclear how authorities will track offenders.
Officials and lawmakers say average Internet users will not be affected, and only those who are methodically seeking illegal content will be targeted. They did not explain how authorities would distinguish them.
Russians widely use VPN services to access banned content, but authorities are trying to tighten restrictions and close vulnerabilities. National communications regulators are increasingly using technology to analyze traffic and block specific VPN protocols.
After Russian authorities sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, it intensified the multi-faceted crackdown on dissent.
Since then, online censorship and prosecutions for social media posts and comments have soared.
Several independent news media and rights groups have been closed, marked as “foreign agents” or prohibited “unpopular.” Hundreds of activists and critics in the Kremlin face criminal charges.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
