Russia Threatens To Ban All Of Reddit Because Of A Single, Unspecified Drug-Related Thread

from the slippery-slope-into-the-pond-of-stupidity dept

Wed, Aug 12th 2015 3:10am — Karl Bode

Russian regulators in charge of the company's absurdly aggressive Internet filters have threatened to ban Reddit if the website doesn't remove a single, unspecified thread from the website. In an announcement posted to Russian social networking website VKontakte, Russian regulator Roskomnadzor (the Kremlin's "Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom Information Technologies and Mass Communications") proclaims that they've tried to reach Reddit administrators about the thread, but found them unresponsive to complaints during the "relaxed" summer months.

This sort of behavior isn't new for Russia, which passed a new law back in 2012 to "protect children" from the menace of a healthy, uncensored Internet. The law has since been used to block Live Journal, censor Wikipedia entries on "smoking cannabis," quash criticism of the Putin Administration, censor journalists, and most recently block all access to the Wayback Machine.

In this latest scuff up, Roskomnadzor proclaims that because a single thread discussing the "cultivation of narcotic plants" caught the eye of the Russia's Federal Drug Control Service, the entire site will simply have to be blocked (Google translate):

"Notifications to the requirement to remove the information sent to multiple addresses resource, but no response is still not forthcoming, although earlier treatment from us in the administration treated full. We assume that during the August holidays someone is too relaxed, but this should not be a reason to venture readership. Those who have contacts with the administration - ask them to check their mail for letters from Roskomnadzor otherwise due the technical features of a number of operators may block the entire site."

The post is also accompanied by this graphic in the apparent hopes of making censorship quirky and fun!

Just so it's clear, the Russian government can staff warehouses full of professional disinformation and propaganda employees who'll fill the Internet with bullshit twenty four hours a day, but talking about marijuana is just taking things too damn far!

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: censorship, filter, free speech, russia
Companies: reddit

33 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 3:25am

In fairness, Russia are just modeling themselves on the UK, who banned an entire Wikipedia page over an image.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Sheogorath (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 3:43am
  
  Re:
  If you're talking about that page with the infamous record cover with a naked underage girl on it, I can see that even now and I'm in the UK.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 5:43am
    
    Re: Re:
    After lots of nonsense and moral drama it was later unblocked.
    
    I wish more such images would be created just to annoy these drama queens.
    Makes me infuriated just thinking about that nonsense and the level of unhealthy fixation such people have about nudity. Would like to force them as punishment to spend a year on a nude beach.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Anonymous Coward, 13 Aug 2015 @ 11:45am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      The IWF be in for a shock when they browse Mapplethorpe's collection page on the Guggenhiem art museum website.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 1:29pm
    
    Re: Re:
    ...infamous record cover with a naked underage girl on it, I can see that even now and I'm in the UK...
    
    How underage? Last time I checked the UK allowed 16 year olds to do topless modeling, even for "page 3 girls". Other countries allow younger. The literal language of US law requires 18 years of age for any amount of nude modeling but most prosecutors won't touch a case involving under 18 that only has simple nudity.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Sheogorath (profile), 14 Aug 2015 @ 1:57am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      From what I remember, the girl's about twelve or thirteen in the image and entirely naked, not just topless. Anyway, the law said sixteen when Samantha Fox appeared on Page Three, but it says eighteen in all such modelling now.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Ninja (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 3:25am

Considering this has been shoved down the population collective throats I predict these censoring efforts will be met exactly like the marijuana prohibition. People will simply ignore it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sheogorath (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 3:48am

"Notifications to the requirement to remove the information sent to multiple addresses resource, but response is still not forthcoming."
Perhaps because Reddit is a US company, not a Russian one, so they don't have to follow Russian laws. Oh Kremlin, Russian into base stupidity faster with each law you pass.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 4:02am
  
  Re:
  Ask Kim Dotcom about US laws being applied in a foreign country before criticising Russia.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 5:05am
    
    Re: Re:
    The Russians are coming!!!
    The Russians are Coming!!!
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Anonymous Coward, 13 Aug 2015 @ 4:55pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      THE ANORGASMIC ARE COMI- oh, wait... no, they're not.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Ninja (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 7:15am
    
    Re: Re:
    Yes! Let's ignore the point because YANKEES!
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 8:20am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      As the US is a major world leader, what it does on the world stage shows other countries how they should behave.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - tqk (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 9:18am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        This is not the Onion. Platitudes are unwelcome. The US would do the world a favor if it returned to isolationism.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 12:29pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        US isolationism....
        
        You were pissing us off but you didn't say anything. Now you pissed us off enough we're at war. We will proceed to do the war and kill you. Please stop coming over and pissing us off.
        
        Now you know the real history of US isolationism. It will never get you non intervention.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        tqk (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 1:17pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Please stop coming over and pissing us off.
        
        When you see the nice CIA guy handing out wads of cash, just say no. Until then, ...
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 3:33pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        We are not being isolationist right now. The anti american sentiment was just noted.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 7:43am
    
    Re: Re:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sheogorath (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 4:05am

I wouldn't know, I don't live in the US. Why don't you do something about it if you're so concerned, however? (And I'll bet my assumption's more accurate than yours.)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
private frazer, 12 Aug 2015 @ 4:57am

we're all run by nasty little turds, but Putin is still a nasty little turds.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 5:26am

No Kremlin trolls yet? Not holding my breath
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 5:26am

Drugs vs Drugs
Meanwhile, they seem to have no problem with people talking about the much more dangerous drug vodka.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 5:51am
  
  Re: Drugs vs Drugs
  Why whine about what people put in their own body by conscious choice? It's their body, they own it, not you or any other entity.
  
  Am about to take another "dangerous drug" called water. It will kill me if I drink over 8 liters of it.
  Drinking atm yet another "dangerous drug" called coffee. It can kill me if I drink about 150 to 250 cups of it.
  
  In a few hours I'm going to eat foot, another thing that can kill you.
  
  Going shopping after that. The risk of getting killed is higher when being away from your house.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Ninja (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 7:17am
  
  Re: Drugs vs Drugs
  I like vodka. As the other one that replied noted you need to drink quite a lot for it to be dangerous. Even when talking about long term issues.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
David, 12 Aug 2015 @ 6:43am

Then why haven't they banned Reddit already?
For LGBT content, and a wide variety of things that likely rustle Putin's jimmies.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Ninja (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 7:19am
  
  Re: Then why haven't they banned Reddit already?
  You know, for me those who are so outraged and display so much hatred towards homosexual people is just jealous because he/she is afraid to admit being one...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 6:46am

Just so it's clear, the Russian government can staff warehouses full of professional disinformation and propaganda employees who'll fill the Internet with bullshit twenty four hours a day, but talking about marijuana is just taking things too damn far!

Or, looked at another way - when they want any old weak excuse to censor stuff, they assign someone from their warehouses full of professional disinformation and propaganda employees to post something they can point at as the reason..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Ninja (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 7:20am
  
  Re:
  Nailed it. Not only Russia does that by the way and I'm not even thinking about the US ;)
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Gwiz (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 7:02am

Typo?
Russian regulators in charge of the company's absurdly aggressive Internet filters....

Russia is a company????
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
toyotabedzrock (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 12:24pm

If we posted numerous WEED smoking memes to official Russian news outlets what would they do ban themselves?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Sheogorath (profile), 12 Aug 2015 @ 1:37pm
  
  Re:
  Excellent idea. Let's do it and watch Putin's head implode! :D
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Sheogorath (profile), 15 Aug 2015 @ 6:33am
  
  Re:
  Actually, don't waste your time. Being official outlets, they'll just remove the memes either before their government notices them or in full compliance with 'requests'.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2015 @ 2:53pm

Reddit censors itself.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]