MOSCOW, February 10 (RAPSI) – The State Duma, the lower house of parliament, has adopted in the third and final reading a bill introducing fines for Internet providers failed to restrict access to websites containing information banned in Russia.

The blacklist of websites was launched in Russia on November 1, 2012.

The respective law envisages that websites may be blacklisted by the Federal Service for Drug Control, the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Protection and Welfare (suicide-related content) and the Federal Agency for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (child pornography). Starting February 1, 2014, the register also includes websites promoting extremism and mass riots.

In 2016, the State Duma passed the initiative allowing to restrict access to websites containing information about potentially dangerous psychoactive substances potentially dangerous psychoactive substances.

According to the law, providers must block web pages containing prohibited content within 24 hours after their blacklisting.

However, current legislation does not fix penalties for failure to restrict access to prohibited information spread online.

Under the passed bill, such violations would result in fines ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles ($50-83) for officials, from 10,000 to 30,000 rubles ($167-500) for businessmen and from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles ($834-1,700) for companies.
The legislation is to amend the Code of Administrative Offences.