Web sites (most of them modeled after U.S. services). The most popular blog servers are
LiveJournal.com and LiveInternet.ru. The Russian site of LiveJournal has more than
2 million 38 registered users, while the site’s readership amounts to nearly 10 million
people, according to Anton Nossik, one of the RUNET pioneers. 39
The Russian blogosphere operates within an environment where the state directly
competes with other actors for influence. During election times, the Kremlin maintains
a network of supportive bloggers and online media experts, similar to China’s so-called
fifty cent party. This squadron of Kremlin bloggers has engaged in public discussions,
trying to keep the level of political criticism low, to nurture nationalism, and to flood
the Russian blogosphere with blogs that favor the regime during times of oppositional
protests. 40 Instead of giving publicity to its efforts to control the Internet through
direct censorship, the government has turned to these soft approaches to combat
undesired content.
Recently, the Russian government has implemented an unprecedented, and so far
surprisingly effective, initiative to engage with political dissent in order to weaken it.
A number of pro-Kremlin blogs have been created; in number, they overshadow blogs
not favoring the regime, and they were especially prevalent toward the end of 2007,
when national political campaigns were under way for parliamentary and presidential
elections. This strategy could also be intended to drown out the voices of opposition
blogs.
Effective strategic blogging has been seen to have an impact. In April 2007, for example, an opposition movement held a march in Moscow. To interfere with the information about the march, blogger Pavel Danilin, a Putin supporter, together with his
team, started blogging about a smaller pro-Kremlin march being held the same day.
European Digital Rights noted, ‘‘they blogged so much and linked to each other so
effectively, that they crowded out all the items about the opposition march from the
very influential top-five blog post listing on the Yandex Web portal.’’ 41 A consistent
and motivated group of supporters is likely to channel the Kremlin’s message to large
online communities. According to Masha Lipman, a political expert at the Moscow
Carnegie Center, ‘‘The Kremlin has lots of sites under its control, financed by businesses associated with the Kremlin or otherwise, which create an environment in
which those more independent ones are easily dissolved. This [dissolution of independent sites] . . . is one thing that the Kremlin is using to counter or neutralize the potentially stirring effect.’’ 42 The blogs are not based on simple propaganda, and some of the
bloggers are not even necessarily loyal; ‘‘they may be critical themselves, but this will
be criticism that the Kremlin itself sort of oversees.’’ 43
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
The Constitution of the Russian Federation guarantees free speech and prohibits any
restraint on the freedom of expression (Article 29). The constitution recognizes the
214
Russia
LiveJournal.com and LiveInternet.ru. The Russian site of LiveJournal has more than
2 million 38 registered users, while the site’s readership amounts to nearly 10 million
people, according to Anton Nossik, one of the RUNET pioneers. 39
The Russian blogosphere operates within an environment where the state directly
competes with other actors for influence. During election times, the Kremlin maintains
a network of supportive bloggers and online media experts, similar to China’s so-called
fifty cent party. This squadron of Kremlin bloggers has engaged in public discussions,
trying to keep the level of political criticism low, to nurture nationalism, and to flood
the Russian blogosphere with blogs that favor the regime during times of oppositional
protests. 40 Instead of giving publicity to its efforts to control the Internet through
direct censorship, the government has turned to these soft approaches to combat
undesired content.
Recently, the Russian government has implemented an unprecedented, and so far
surprisingly effective, initiative to engage with political dissent in order to weaken it.
A number of pro-Kremlin blogs have been created; in number, they overshadow blogs
not favoring the regime, and they were especially prevalent toward the end of 2007,
when national political campaigns were under way for parliamentary and presidential
elections. This strategy could also be intended to drown out the voices of opposition
blogs.
Effective strategic blogging has been seen to have an impact. In April 2007, for example, an opposition movement held a march in Moscow. To interfere with the information about the march, blogger Pavel Danilin, a Putin supporter, together with his
team, started blogging about a smaller pro-Kremlin march being held the same day.
European Digital Rights noted, ‘‘they blogged so much and linked to each other so
effectively, that they crowded out all the items about the opposition march from the
very influential top-five blog post listing on the Yandex Web portal.’’ 41 A consistent
and motivated group of supporters is likely to channel the Kremlin’s message to large
online communities. According to Masha Lipman, a political expert at the Moscow
Carnegie Center, ‘‘The Kremlin has lots of sites under its control, financed by businesses associated with the Kremlin or otherwise, which create an environment in
which those more independent ones are easily dissolved. This [dissolution of independent sites] . . . is one thing that the Kremlin is using to counter or neutralize the potentially stirring effect.’’ 42 The blogs are not based on simple propaganda, and some of the
bloggers are not even necessarily loyal; ‘‘they may be critical themselves, but this will
be criticism that the Kremlin itself sort of oversees.’’ 43
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
The Constitution of the Russian Federation guarantees free speech and prohibits any
restraint on the freedom of expression (Article 29). The constitution recognizes the
214
Russia