Report: Foreign Ministry: State role in Web management should rise

MOSCOW, Jun 7 (PRIME) -- The government’s role in management of the Internet should increase as its regulation by the private sector proved its ineffectiveness, Andrei Krutskikh, head of the international information security department at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, said in an interview to The International Affairs magazine released on Monday.

The Internet is turning into “the main platform for distribution of not only information, but also all sorts of political manipulations,” Krutskikh said.

“The main tool in this process is not classical media, but different digital platforms, social networks and messengers, which, under certain conditions, can act as a source of destabilization of any society and a resource of pressure on the state power.”

The official said that Russia has consistently spoken in favor of internationalization of management over the Internet and a stronger hand of the government in this process.

“Regulation of the Internet by the private sector only, where the role of governments – the guarantors of the rights and freedoms of their citizens and playing the key part in the matters of economy, security, and stability of critical information infrastructure – is neglected, proved its inefficiency long ago,” Krutskikh said.

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