Cybersecurity
Russian ‘Sovereign Internet' Bill Attacked Over Censorship Risks
- Government says law prevents foreign threats to internet
- Opponents warn measure may ease blocking of Facebook, Google
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Russian lawmakers criticized a draft law aimed at creating a “sovereign internet,” warning that it risked handing the government extensive powers to censor online content.
The proposal to establish control of Russian internet traffic so that it goes mostly via domestic routers and exchanges was passed at first reading in the lower house of parliament on Tuesday. Advocates in the pro-Kremlin United Russia party argued the measure would ensure Russia’s internet network continued to operate if the country is cut off from foreign root servers, prompting an unusual outbreak of dissent in the normally docile legislature.