Putin Enacts Law Criminalizing Online Searches for Extremist Content Amidst Widespread Criticism

On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin enacted a contentious law that makes it a criminal offense to access or search for online content categorized as “extremist.”

This legislation, which has faced criticism from both supporters and opponents of the Kremlin, imposes fines of up to 5,000 rubles (approximately $64) on those who “knowingly” engage with or seek out prohibited materials.

The law does not clarify how such monitoring will be conducted, leading legal experts to express concerns about potential increases in surveillance and the risk of abuse by law enforcement agencies. It is set to take effect on September 1.

Yekaterina Mizulina, leader of the Kremlin-affiliated Safe Internet League and a vocal supporter of internet censorship, expressed her discomfort with the bill earlier this month. She cautioned that it might hinder the League’s activities, approximately 30% of which revolve around detecting extremist material and reporting it to the authorities.

Mizulina argued that this legislation could also place police officers in legal jeopardy if they access content in the course of their responsibilities.

Human rights organization Amnesty International, based in London, condemned the bill as “ambiguous and excessively broad,” stating that it empowers arbitrary enforcement.

Additionally, on the same day, Putin approved another measure prohibiting the advertisement of VPN services, which have proliferated in Russia in the past three years as the government has increasingly blocked various websites, including those of Instagram and news organizations like The Moscow Times.