The State Duma is currently contemplating amendments to the Law “On Information” that would grant Roskomnadzor the authority to block destructive content prior to obtaining a court decision. Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Information Policy, Andrei Svintsov, informed Izvestia that the proposals originated from the Bloggers Council and he supports them.
Svintsov highlighted the ongoing issue of citizens consuming destructive materials without a proper solution. He stressed the importance of defining the concept of destructive content to provide Roskomnadzor with the legal basis for pre-trial blocking.
The plan is to establish a clear definition of destructive content by the end of the year and to draft the amendments for submission to the State Duma in 2025. Valery Kanvin, the founder of the Bloggers Council, mentioned that they have reached out to the Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Roskomnadzor for their support.
Kanvin pointed out the absence of a legal definition of destructive content in Russian legislation, which hinders the enforcement of sanctions. To address this, the proposal includes the creation of a special commission under Roskomnadzor to review complaints and decide on blocking measures. The Blogger Council also plans to launch a complaint submission form on their website to automate the process of forwarding complaints to Roskomnadzor, expected to be operational by summer.
Roskomnadzor reported an increase in the volume of destructive content in 2024, with a 2.2 times rise in blocked materials inciting mass riots and nearly 1.5 times increase in attempts to involve minors in illegal activities.