MOSCOW, November 1 - RAPSI. The unified register of Internet websites containing information which is prohibited to distribute in Russia goes live on Thursday.

The law on protecting children from information damaging to their health and development came into effect on September 1.

The law stipulates a number of limitations for publishing material in the media and includes the creation of a list of websites which display information that is harmful for children as of November 1, 2012.

If a site contains child porn, suicide or drug making instructions, it can be shut down even before a trial. As regards other prohibited information, the decision on whether to close the website will be taken on the basis of the court ruling.

If a web-page is included on the black list, providers will be obligated to block access to the page throughout the whole of Russia.

The register of prohibited information and the new website launched to host it, zapret-info.gov.ru, will be maintained by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media.

Internet resources will be included in the list according to the decisions of the Interior Ministry, the Federal Drug Control Service, the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Protection and Welfare, the Federal Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, and the courts.

Users will be able to check whether a particular website has been included in the register, but they will not be able to examine the entire list.

Communications providers will be granted access to the entire list, and, as the federal communications service told RIA Novosti, no liability has been stipulated for passing the list onto third parties.

As reported earlier, the Internet community has reacted negatively to this bill, fearing government censorship.