CCIA has grave concerns about legislation passed yesterday
by the Russian Parliament that would establish a blacklist of websites that government
could shut down, and hopes U.S. trade officials weigh this development. While
the legislation is ostensibly targeted at child pornography and sites promoting
suicide or substance abuse, the establishment of a government blacklist
framework is a severe blow to Internet freedom and could be the first step on a
path that leads to complete censorship and control of online information by an
increasingly authoritarian Russian government.
There have been stirrings of popular unrest in Russia
leading up to and since the parliamentary and presidential elections. These stirrings were informed and
organized by utilizing social networks and the Internet. Once a mechanism for the government to
blacklist and shut down websites is implemented, there is little doubt that
those in power will seek to expand it to use against the political activism
they find so troublesome. While
Russia has not heretofore had systemic Internet blocking like China’s Great
Firewall, this legislation may be a sign that it now seeks to follow that
model.
It is important to note that this development comes as
Congress is debating whether to repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment and extend
Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) to Russia. Jackson-Vanik was a Cold War initiative linking human rights
and trade. At a time when one
would think Russia would want to show their best behavior on human rights, they
have passed legislation to greatly undermine Internet freedom, the 21st
century version of freedom of expression.
One wonders what they will feel free to do once they achieve PNTR. We call on Congress and the
administration to further highlight the importance of Internet freedom in our
relationship with Russia. Pursuing
Internet freedom in Russia would be an effective 21st century update
of the U.S. commitment to human rights and democracy. We must remain vigilant in monitoring and highlighting any
new movement to restrict the Internet, and duly consider this important issue
in discussing the overall relationship with Russia.
