Russia To Ban Swearing On The Internet

from the bloody-hell dept

Mon, Jul 29th 2013 10:44am — Glyn Moody

A year ago, we wrote about a Russian law that introduced a blacklist designed to block access to information on drugs, suicide and child pornography (all for the children, of course.) Strangely, that same law was then used to silence leading reporters who dared to criticize the government (bet nobody saw that coming....)

Well, Russian politicians are back to thinking of the children now, and want to make further amendments to the law, as this report on the English version of Pravda reveals:

State Duma Deputy Yelena Mizulina intends to make further amendments to the Law "On the Protection of Children." The chairwoman of the Committee on Family, Women and Children put forward a suggestion to punish people for using dirty language in social networks.

According to politician, the pages full of posts and messages containing swear words, will have to be blocked within 24 hours, if harmful information is not deleted. This should apply to pages on social networks, websites, and various forums.

Yes, you read that correctly: the new law would forbid the use of "dirty language" pretty much anywhere online. If the offending phrases aren't quickly removed, the relevant page will be added to the blacklist. The chairman of the Moscow Regional Bar Association, Sergei Smirnov, is all for it: "Obscene language offends both children and adults. A ban on its use is not an infringement of human rights. This is a direction towards a civilized lifestyle. If we do not use foul language in real life, then why do we use it on the Internet?"
Right: so politicians want a ban on swearing online, because apparently no one in Russia ever swears offline.

That'll work.

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Filed Under: for the children, free speech, internet, russia, swearing

74 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 10:46am

"If we do not use foul language in real life, then why do we use it on the Internet?"

Easily countered: "I use foul language in real life".
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Ninja (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 10:49am

I'm sure this would fit in the Russian Reversal meme...

I vote for this same article to be written by Tim (any of them or both in a combo) for shitloads of laughter! *raises hand*
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 10:50am

who ever brings this forward
who ever brings this forward i want to hit there hand with a hammer and listen to all the polite shit they say LOL
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Ninja (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 10:51am

Re:
O please share the audio, I wanna learn how to swear in Russian!
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Nigel (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 10:56am

How the fuck do they plan on enforcing this :)

Nigel
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Mike Masnick (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 10:57am

Disappointed...
... that the first comment on this story wasn't something like "Oh, fuck."
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Ninja (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 10:59am

Re:
ебля дерьмо!

Special thanks to Google Translate. Whatever is written there.
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crade (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:00am

Re:
You would have to be incredibly sheltered and out of touch to think people don't use foul language in real life.
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Ninja (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:02am

Re: Disappointed...
*puts on English style hat with a fancy monocle and starts speaking with that somewhat royal, somewhat weird British accent*

Your readers are very polite, dear sir. You should be glad you will be in total compliance with the Russian law. The best you would hear from these distinct gentleman would be "Oh, feces!". Ahem.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:05am

How are they going to go about enforcing this? Because that's the question how are they going to stop private chats, foreign swearing, ect?
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crade (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:10am

Re:
The same way all these sort of laws are enforced.. Not at all unless it suits some agenda.. If your political opponent's or some critic's site had a comment on it with language that could be interpreted as foul, you can shut it down.. That sort of thing.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:11am

Re: Disappointed...
Personally, I'm more disappointed that no one has made a "In Soviet Russia..." joke.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:12am

Censoring people's speech, isn't very 'civilized'. The ones pushing for civility, are the most barbaric of all.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:13am

I would not be surprised of the Christian Right had something to do with this. It was religious lunatics that pressed for Pussy Riot to be prosecuted.
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Transmitte (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:25am

In Soviet Russia...
Yeah, I see this happening. Good luck with that.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:26am

it isn't this half wit that's got an arm up Cameron's back, is it? this is as big a load of crap for an idea as what he's coming out with! this attitude of 'i dont like this, so everyone else has to do likewise' has got to stop! it's the thin end of the censorship wedge that will definitely make things worse even before they get worse!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:29am

Words change meaning
A language community can choose any word as a swear word, or as a substitute for a banned word. E.g. racists in the US using "Canadians" as meaning black people, as a sad but real example.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:35am

Re: Re: Disappointed...
I think the proper "translation" here is "Oh, Coitus".

"Oh, Intercourse" is acceptable, but just doesn't roll off the tongue.
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Nick Burns (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:39am

If the assholes in Congress tried to pull this kind of shit here, it would fucking piss me off.
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FM Hilton, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:39am

We can swear?
Oh, dammit, they have to go and make it illegal for people to give free expression to their innermost thoughts?

Or as I always think:

"What the fuck!?"
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PRMan, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:39am

Re: Re: Disappointed...
In Soviet Russia, you will swear at the internet?
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:45am

Re: Re: Re: Disappointed...
In America, you filter the Internet for profanity. In Soviet Russia, the Internet filters YOU for profanity.

Something like that? Eh, not that great.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:45am

In Soviet Russia, bad language uses YOU to express shades of meaning!
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Alt0, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:50am

Re: Words change meaning
A local cop here has told me they (the cops her) use "Canadians" on the police radio in the way you described.

Going to be a lot of banned sites in Russia now.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:56am

In other news, all swear words now start with a D
In other news, the Internet decides to chop off the first letter of all swear words and add a D to the beginning of each swear words instead.

Also, this decision has resulted in a LOT more joke webpages about Ducks, and people saying 'Duck you' to each other.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 11:58am

Fuck that!
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CK20XX, 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:01pm

Re: Disappointed...
I was tempted because I love seeing precision irony strikes, but I just don't swear, not online nor in real life. It's not nice!

Besides, hearing the word "fuck" echoed everywhere as-is only reminds me of the species' insipid obsession with propagation. It's like, the more people yammer about how awesome sex is, the more convinced I am that it is one of the biggest nothings to ever exist. I've seen that church many times and I'm not interested in joining it.
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jerryb (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:07pm

Re: Re:
Here's a site that offers swear words in over 40 languages, including Russian. Have fun.
http://www.insults.net/html/swear/
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Rikuo (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:10pm

Re: Disappointed...
I think Cartman said it best

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGHcFfqZl34

Happy now Mike? It's even got your favourite "celebrity" in there ^^
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Hidden Force, 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:15pm

Yeah, ESPECIALLY the Russians, who have a whole sub-language, called Mat, specifically for swearing.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:19pm

Are you allow to swear on Russian TV? If so I would think that this policy would prevent legal TV streams of Russian content.
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A Monkey with Attitude, 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:20pm

Re:
But they are, just not quite as open... listen to their views of the internet and many other things, i.e. "I dont like x, so nobody should do it"....

An easy way to live, if what i do doesnt physically affect anyone else, nor thier properity, then it is fine and they should do be the same, ie. FUCK OFF about giving a shit what i do, for i dont care what they do..
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Zakida Paul (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:26pm

I am reminded of the opening 5 mins of Four Weddings and a Funeral. That film will cease to exist on the Internet in Russia.
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TaCktiX (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:29pm

Re: Re: Re: Disappointed...
No, it's "in Soviet Russia, the internet will swear at you!" (the idiots proposing this legislation)
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:31pm

Re:
Given how far reaching this is, much like the CDA would have been, if upheld by the Supreme Court, I wonder if we will have the nutcases the advocated boycotting the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta over the CDA advocating a boycott what could be considered Russia's version of the CDA.
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Ninja (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:49pm

Re: Re: Re: Disappointed...
Why thank you for your polite admonishment on my lack of attention, sir! In my impetus to defend our distinguished readers I "translated" what would perfectly fit in the referred moment but did not reflect what our grandiloquent writer expected. Ahem.
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Ninja (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 12:53pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Disappointed...
In Soviet Russia the internet filters YOU.
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Not Applicable, 29 Jul 2013 @ 1:01pm

Bollocks
What a fucking load of old bollocks
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AdamBv1 (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 1:25pm

Re: Words change meaning
One of my favorite examples of this was on 4chan when "nigger" became an instaban word it almost instantly got replaced with "redguard" (yes, as in the ones from the Elder Scrolls games).

And I had not heard of "Canadians" as a euphemism for black people before, that would be incredibly confusing to me if I heard it in conversation.
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William Turner, 29 Jul 2013 @ 1:37pm

I hope swearing to be banned everywhere.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 1:44pm

Ouch.
I hope nobody ends up fucking swearing in the comments once this gets passed.

Might get Techdirt blocked in Russia.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 1:57pm

Re:
The only way they'd realistically enforce this is to shut down the Internet, because that worked so well for Arab Spring countries, right?
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Pickle Monger (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 2:10pm

Considering that she is also the main sponsor of the law banning mentioning homosexuality, this new move is not that surprising. That said, some of the most celebrated Russian authors have used the very words the esteemed Deputy is trying to remove from view. What exactly is she planning to do with those works of art that use the swear words? Does she think herself worthy of editing the works of Pushkin or Mayakovsky? If so, she is profoundly delusional.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 2:34pm

Re:
John Malkovich uses some of these in Rounders. I was pretty impressed with the accuracy of his swearing in that movie.
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Anonymous, 29 Jul 2013 @ 2:40pm

There appears to be a couple of s's missing from the end of Duma.
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Pixelation, 29 Jul 2013 @ 2:44pm

Shit!
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Watchit, 29 Jul 2013 @ 2:54pm

Fuck 'em
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 3:50pm

In the UK people actually build the great-firewall-of-porn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJfyNwM6Lw8

Maybe in Russia people create the great-firewall-of-cussing.
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John Fenderson (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 4:18pm

Re: Re: Words change meaning
I've never heard of that before, either, but it raises a pressing question: what do they say if they're talking about Canadians?
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Rekrul, 29 Jul 2013 @ 4:54pm

So Russia is going to block the entire internet?
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Guardian, 29 Jul 2013 @ 4:58pm

so a polish guy and a russian meet at the border
they get into argument over a potato, and start swearing ....they gonna arrest the Russian now for swearing into a foreign land?
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Digitari, 29 Jul 2013 @ 5:22pm

the best part of this.........
in America, Some site are blocked or banned because of talk about "drugs" In Russia, "Drugs" are your friends.....

(is it possible to have illicit "friends")
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Dane, 29 Jul 2013 @ 5:43pm

Hey, Russia
Fuck you, Russia.
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AndrewLee, 29 Jul 2013 @ 6:19pm

Gotta do it.

Shit - дерьмо
Piss - моча
Fuck - ебать
Cunt - влагалище
Cocksucker - хуесос
Motherfucker - ублюдок
Tits - сиськи

Okay I feel better now.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 7:30pm

shut your damn whore mouths you fuckcunts
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Robert A. Rosenberg (profile), 29 Jul 2013 @ 9:20pm

Re: Enforcing Cursing Ban
Nigel asked
"How the fuck do they plan on enforcing this :)"

By administering a case of Lead Poisoning (via Hypersonically delivering copper covered lead pellets) to those who curse on the internet.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2013 @ 10:18pm

Son of a mother duck!
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2013 @ 1:35am

Re: Words change meaning
Wait, as an American I've never heard of this. Where the heck did you hear an American using 'Canadian' to refer to someone with dark skin?...
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2013 @ 1:38am

Re: In other news, all swear words now start with a D
That would work exceptionally well except for all swearwords beginning with D.

I vote for using Z instead.
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John Nieler, 30 Jul 2013 @ 1:41am

Response to: Anonymous Coward on Jul 29th, 2013 @ 11:13am
Oh look, a disgruntled atheist stating that Christians are to blame for such a ban being created. Good thing you're an Anonymous Coward.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2013 @ 3:02am

So, if they want to censor something, they just have to add a shit-load of insulting comments on it ?
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Angry Voter, 30 Jul 2013 @ 3:59am

For most of it's history
For most of history, Russia has been a backwards laughing stock of ignorance and superstition. That was strictly due to religion because once religion was banned, Russia quickly became a global superpower with first class math and science.

Already the priests have adorned themselves in gold like whores and drive around in Mercedes looking for boys to molest.

Letting religion back into power will ruin Russia completely.
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Maria, 30 Jul 2013 @ 4:04am

Response to: AndrewLee on Jul 29th, 2013 @ 6:19pm
I feel better to! Thanx and my favourite offensive word is:
Motherfucker ;-)

Swearing is good for the soul sometimes and helps to release stress
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Niall (profile), 30 Jul 2013 @ 4:51am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Disappointed...
In Soviet Russia, the fucking US promise you that they won't fucking torture or kill their dissidents.

That irony *never* gets old :)
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Niall (profile), 30 Jul 2013 @ 4:53am

Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Jul 29th, 2013 @ 11:13am
Most atheists don't have the kind of 'moral anal ramrod' that causes them to start censoring others of things that harm no-one. Christianists, though, along with the other Abrahamic religions, can be a bit close-minded about stuff like this.

Or will you tell me that the Victorians were all rampaging atheists?
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lemonzeye, 30 Jul 2013 @ 5:43am

Because, this
"Yes, Russia is a wholesome country with no swearing or offensive anything, so I can understand why they'd want to do this."

Said no one, ever. Truth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrU1hZxSEXQ
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2013 @ 5:59am

Re:
Asshole.
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Rekrul, 30 Jul 2013 @ 7:07am

Re:
George Carlin would be proud. :)
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2013 @ 9:53am

Now it's even more easy to incriminate websites.
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Big Guy, 30 Jul 2013 @ 10:35am

You've got to be kiddng me..
You've got to be kidding me. I mean agree that people should be respectful to others and what they say, but come on.. trying to ban swearing online is like trying to keep teenage girls from having sex, lol it's just not gonna work.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2013 @ 12:52pm

Re: Re: Words change meaning
I heard it used in northern Virginia in the context of restaurant server discussions.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2013 @ 3:19pm

ну блять, эти засранци полности ахуели.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Jul 2013 @ 8:24am

)(`/ũ|-|,|
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btrussell (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 2:07am

Re: Re: Re: Disappointed...
To roll on the tongue, you need "Oh, Oral sex."
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