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Facebook to be blocked in Russia

Telecom watchdog: unless the social network removed content, illegal in Russia, national providers will have to block it

Archive photo EPA/PETER DaSILVA

Archive photo EPA/PETER DaSILVA

MOSCOW, September 19. (Itar-Tass) – Facebook has been added to the Russian blacklist of prohibited websites, said Vladimir Pikov, representative of telecom watchdog Roscomnadzor. This means that if in three days’ time the social network will not remove information which is prohibited in Russia, national internet service providers will have to block access to the social network, rendering the website unreachable to Russian internet users.

The spokesman clarified that 10 requests to blacklist Facebook was processed, but the majority of them were decline. “The expert evaluation has processed three requests not all of which were on the subject of smoking mixes. Facebook has remedied violations on two accounts, it has been blacklisted due to the third request. We have already informed web hosts. Facebook has three days to remedy the violation in order not to be blocked in Russia,” Pikov explained. He did not clarify what kind of transgression Facebook is guilty of, however.

MOSCOW, September 19. (Itar-Tass) – Facebook has been added to the Russian blacklist of prohibited websites, said Vladimir Pikov, representative of telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor. This means that if in three days’ time the social network will not remove information which is prohibited in Russia, national internet service providers will have to block access to the social network, rendering the website unreachable to Russian internet users.

The spokesman clarified that 10 requests to blacklist Facebook was processed, but the majority of them were decline. “The expert evaluation has processed three requests not all of which were on the subject of smoking mixes. Facebook has remedied violations on two accounts, it has been blacklisted due to the third request. We have already informed web hosts. Facebook has three days to remedy the violation in order not to be blocked in Russia,” Pikov explained. He did not clarify what kind of transgression Facebook is guilty of, however.

Illegal ads

On Monday Facebook users started reporting that the social network was hosting advertisements for smoking mixes, also known as “spice”. Ads were linking to a website through which users could buy smoking mixes and legally availab1ly powders in any quantity, including bulk. This website offered eight kinds of substances available in Moscow, Odessa, Kiev and Krasnodar.

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