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Russian State Duma approves law banning ‘trash streams’

The document also gives Russia's mass media and telecommunications watchdog the right to manage communication networks based on directives by the prosecutor general and his deputies in order to remove the banned information

MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/. The Russian State Duma approved a draft bill in the second and third readings at its most recent plenary session, which bans spreading information containing illegal or violent acts, as well as so-called "trash streams."

The document was introduced to the State Duma by a group of senators and delegates last December, it was approved in the first reading in February. The new norms ban "trash streams," a kind of shock content defined as "information insulting human dignity and public morals, expressing clear disrespect to society, containing the depiction of illegal, including violent, actions and disseminated with vandalistic, mercenary or other vile intent." It is noted that the owners of social networks will be obligated to monitor them to detect such information.

The document also gives Russia's mass media and telecommunications watchdog (Roskomnadzor) the right to manage communication networks based on directives by the prosecutor general and his deputies in order to remove the banned information. Additionally, providers will be obligated to submit information to Roskomnadzor which allows them to identify the means of communication and user equipment on the Internet in Russia. The deadlines, procedure, content and format of submitting information will be determined by the watchdog.