Official: Russia not to follow China in strict control over Internet

MOSCOW, Feb 4 (PRIME) -- Russia will not introduce a tough regulation of the Internet, like the one existing in China, Leonid Levin, head of the information policy committee at the State Duma, the parliament’s lower house, said late Wednesday at a news conference.

“A question was asked whether we plan to move toward China from the point of view of the law (regarding control over the Internet). My answer is no, we don’t,” Levin said.

“If you have a look at the laws that were adopted, they followed suit of European legal initiatives or court decisions, or, correspondingly, laws within the issues related to the safety of users, like the issues of extremism, pornography, drugs and so forth. These are not the issues that involve the freedom of speech as is.”

Presidential aide for the Internet German Klimenko agreed with Levin. “In order to introduce ‘the Chinese Internet’, the country should be peopled with Chinese. Every country has its laws.”

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