RMN'S Blog
Don’t Start a Blog in Russia Unless It’s a Kitten Blog
Russia recently issued tighter regulation on popular bloggers, approving only those who pass the highly selective rules.
The law went into effect on August 1st. At that time, bloggers with more than 3,000 daily views will have to register with the state and disclose their identities. They will then have to follow the state laws governing mass media, such as avoiding false information, expletive language, no pornography, and no extremist materials. Those who don’t follow the new rules will face penalties from the Federal Mass Media Inspection Service.
However, there is a group of bloggers who don’t have to register. Bloggers who maintain kitten-oriented blogs are exempt. As long as they only post photos of kittens, obedient language, and don’t post classified information. Even if they have more than a million viewers, they still don’t have to register.
After the bombing in Volgograd, Russia has been working on tightening internet regulations as a way to fight terrorism and the formation of grassroots anti-government protesters. If a person is caught breaking the new blogging law, they can face a fine of 500,000 roubles, or $14,300.
This is an interesting take on how a country is trying to fight against internal terrorism. What do you think about their blogging law? Do you think it will help them counter terrorism within the country?
