Russian Government Demands All Foreign Press Outlets Register For The Privilege Of Delivering News To Russia

from the get-in-the-sea,-Putin dept

The Russian government sure loves its registration. If anyone wants to do anything involving the written (and/or broadcasted) word in Russia, the government wants to know who you are. That makes it easier to find you should you displease the Russian government and/or its bear-riding autocrat.

It's so great to be part of the new New World Order. Gone are the days of the Soviet Union and its direct control of the nation's press outlets. We're living in a new era of quasi-, mostly-mob-fueled-capitalism in Russia. And with it comes… the direct control of the nation's press outlets.

The Russian government has demanded all bloggers register with the government in order to continue blogging. The government has also demanded all Wi-Fi networks be registered with the government. So it goes without saying all domestic press is registered with the government, but we'll say it anyway since unregistered press outfits are being hit with hefty fines for not playing ball with their overlords.

That takes care of the domestic "problem." But what about all those pesky extranationals whose printed words might be somehow troublesome to the Russian Republic? Well, Putin et al have a solution whipped up to keep dirty foreigners from apprising Russian citizens about the sad state of their country under its autocratic leadership.

Under the new law, media publications must obtain a permit and register their media outlet with Russian media watchdog, Roskomnadzor. [...] The law was proposed to better regulate foreign media outlets who have contracts with local distributors. The new law is supposed to make sure all of these contracts are brought under the review of the state.

As expected, the new law has its critics, both foreign and domestic. And, as expected, the Russian government has not a single fuck to give about critics of its media control.

The new law governs all printed media distributed by non-citizens, bringing it in line with the domestic product. The fines, however, aren't all that hefty (although exchange rates may make them particularly painful for some countries). They're even less hefty if foreign press outlets refuse to pay them, which seems like a totally legitimate option when faced with illegitimate use of government power.

Those with deeper pockets should pay the nominal fees (which range from $23 to $470, depending on the size of the corporation) and keep pumping info not directly controlled by the Russian government into the eyeballs and brains of Russian citizens. Those that can't pay the fees -- or are willing to stand on principle -- should continue to do the same thing, only without cutting checks to a lousy government that can't stand having an informed populace.

As for American tech companies, they too should extend a digital middle finger to Roskomnadzor when it starts demanding content the Russian government finds offensive be removed or blocked. You're not the boss of me is the operative phrase here and it should be delivered as frequently -- and as petulantly -- as possible.

Filed Under: free speech, journalism, news, registration, russia