Russia, accused of faking news, unfurls its own 'fake news' bill

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July 22, 2018 5:48 PM

MOSCOW — Russia, which U.S. intelligence agencies said spread its fair share of misinformation during the 2016 U.S. election, says it will crack down on “fake news” at home, with a proposed law that critics say could limit freedom of speech on the internet.

The bill, submitted by lawmakers from the governing party, United Russia, proposes holding social networks accountable for “inaccurate” comments users post.

Under existing Russian law, social media users can be punished for content deemed to promote homosexuality, threaten public order or be “extremist” in nature, with fines as well as prison time.

Under the proposed rule, part of a crackdown on digital rights under President Vladimir Putin, websites with more than 100,000 daily visitors and a commenting feature must take down factually inaccurate posts or face a fine of up to 50 million rubles, about $800,000.

The bill gives social media companies 24 hours to delete “inaccurate” information after being notified of its existence, raising concerns that moderators will be left to interpret the term, which is vaguely defined in the measure.

The legislation has passed one of three votes in Parliament.

Critics worry that out of an abundance of caution, moderators are likely to interpret truthfulness to authorities’ advantage. They say the bill would make it easier for the state to pressure social media companies to cooperate with security services by requiring them to establish offices in Russia, a step that social media giants Facebook and Twitter have avoided so as not to fall under Russian legal jurisdiction.

Internet companies, which have often borne the financial costs of restrictions in Russia, say that too many people write posts and leave comments for moderators to thoroughly review every potential instance of false news within 24 hours.

Adrian Shahbaz, a research manager at Freedom House, said President Donald Trump’s “use of ‘fake news’ as a catchall term for media outlets he does not like” has inspired crackdowns on press freedom around the world.

Still, “the proliferation of deliberately falsified information online is a widely recognized problem,” even as efforts to counter it can be abused, Shahbaz said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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