MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti) – There is no need to impose new restrictions on the Internet as current laws are sufficient, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.
“On the whole, a balance has been found. Existing restrictions have already been imposed,” Putin said at a meeting in Moscow with students of various law faculties.
“It is impossible to reduce to zero all Internet activity, to clamp down on everything like in some other countries, this would obviously be over the top,” he said.
The president said it would be wrong to drive the Internet “into a Procrustean bed.”
Russia launched an Internet blacklist in November 2012, enabling the blocking of domain names and IP addresses of websites containing child pornography, drug use advocacy, suicide promotion or any other information deemed illegal by Russian courts. An anti-piracy law came into effect in August 2013, attracting a flurry of criticism from the Russian Internet industry over technicalities that industry representatives say enable rampant abuse.
Putin also told the students that people who publicly question Russia’s territorial integrity should be held responsible.
Last month, ruling United Russia party deputies submitted a bill to the Russian parliament criminalizing the propaganda of separatist views. The Communist party later urged for prison sentences to be introduced for calls to divide the country.
Putin said Tuesday that under the constitution, the government “guarantees Russia’s territorial integrity, so any statements on separating any territories from the Russian Federation are anti-constitutional.”
“As regards holding people accountable, we need to think. We mustn’t go overboard, and we mustn’t underestimate the damage done by such statements,” he said.
“It must be discussed, including in parliament,” the president said, adding that both verbal incitement and actual deeds should be assessed.
