officials online, the ‘‘cyber police’’ deal with unauthorized access to computer systems
and networks, and the distribution of pirated software.
An example of the activities of this cyber police department was the September 2007
case involving the sports site hc-rodina.ru. 65 The ISP of the sports Web site stopped
maintaining service following an order from Department ‘‘K.’’ The reasons for this
censorship were ‘‘inaccurate’’ comments about representatives of the government
posted on the Web site’s forum section. In another example, a blogger was sentenced
to a year in jail for posting a caricature of Putin depicted as a skinhead. 66
On several occasions, Russian politicians have proposed establishing a legal framework that would directly control the Internet. At the end of January 2007, the Federation Council Commission on Information Policy discussed the possibility of
introducing a law regulating the Internet in order to establish a ‘‘safe’’ online environment to protect people against the growing cases of illegal activities. 67
In July 2007, Putin spoke of making Russia ‘‘a global information technology powerhouse.’’ Following his statement, the Kremlin announced plans to create a Cyrillic
Web for Russia and the rest of the CIS and Bulgaria. The Russian Federation is the
only country other than China that has decisively announced plans to launch a selfcontained and independent language Web parallel to the World Wide Web. At the
end of June 2008, ICANN spoke in favor of proposals to establish Cyrillic and Chinese
language-based domains. Although this idea moves toward further development of
the Internet, there are shared fears that this step might also lead to the division of the
Internet and facilitate state censorship through the registration and management process. If the administration of Russian Web sites is concentrated in the hands of a government agency, it could have chilling effects on independent-minded online media
and bloggers.
In the past few years, Russia’s government has recognized the need to develop a
favorable environment for information technology by providing legal and tax incentives for companies in this market. The development of the ICT sector has risen to
become a national policy priority. Yet, while the government is hoping to attract foreign investment, it is not ready to abandon centralized decision making and end its
monitoring of ISPs.
Surveillance
The Russian government has been advancing justifications for surveillance, ostensibly
to aid in the investigation of crimes and the prevention of terrorism. The Law on
Systems for Operational Investigation Activity (SORM) 68 of 1995 authorized the FSB
monitoring of telecommunication transmission. In 1999, formulated as an amendment to SORM, SORM-II was enacted to allow for the monitoring of Internet traffic.
SORM-II is still effective and ‘‘reinforced,’’ and in April 2008, Leonid Reiman, the Min218
Russia
and networks, and the distribution of pirated software.
An example of the activities of this cyber police department was the September 2007
case involving the sports site hc-rodina.ru. 65 The ISP of the sports Web site stopped
maintaining service following an order from Department ‘‘K.’’ The reasons for this
censorship were ‘‘inaccurate’’ comments about representatives of the government
posted on the Web site’s forum section. In another example, a blogger was sentenced
to a year in jail for posting a caricature of Putin depicted as a skinhead. 66
On several occasions, Russian politicians have proposed establishing a legal framework that would directly control the Internet. At the end of January 2007, the Federation Council Commission on Information Policy discussed the possibility of
introducing a law regulating the Internet in order to establish a ‘‘safe’’ online environment to protect people against the growing cases of illegal activities. 67
In July 2007, Putin spoke of making Russia ‘‘a global information technology powerhouse.’’ Following his statement, the Kremlin announced plans to create a Cyrillic
Web for Russia and the rest of the CIS and Bulgaria. The Russian Federation is the
only country other than China that has decisively announced plans to launch a selfcontained and independent language Web parallel to the World Wide Web. At the
end of June 2008, ICANN spoke in favor of proposals to establish Cyrillic and Chinese
language-based domains. Although this idea moves toward further development of
the Internet, there are shared fears that this step might also lead to the division of the
Internet and facilitate state censorship through the registration and management process. If the administration of Russian Web sites is concentrated in the hands of a government agency, it could have chilling effects on independent-minded online media
and bloggers.
In the past few years, Russia’s government has recognized the need to develop a
favorable environment for information technology by providing legal and tax incentives for companies in this market. The development of the ICT sector has risen to
become a national policy priority. Yet, while the government is hoping to attract foreign investment, it is not ready to abandon centralized decision making and end its
monitoring of ISPs.
Surveillance
The Russian government has been advancing justifications for surveillance, ostensibly
to aid in the investigation of crimes and the prevention of terrorism. The Law on
Systems for Operational Investigation Activity (SORM) 68 of 1995 authorized the FSB
monitoring of telecommunication transmission. In 1999, formulated as an amendment to SORM, SORM-II was enacted to allow for the monitoring of Internet traffic.
SORM-II is still effective and ‘‘reinforced,’’ and in April 2008, Leonid Reiman, the Min218
Russia