MOSCOW, July 12 (RAPSI) – Russian MPs have filed a bill with the State Duma, introducing fines of up to 50 million rubles (about $820,000) for refusal to delete defaming information from social networks, according to the database of the lower house of parliament.

Authors of the bill propose to fine persons in a range from 3 to 5 million rubles ($50,000 – 82,000) and legal entities in a range from 30 to 50 million rubles ($500,000 – 820,000).

In addition, MPs propose to codify the term of “social network operator” and obligate it to register a branch in Russia as well as block access and delete information subjected to criminal or administrative liability. Such measures are supposedly to be enforced on request of a social network user in a period of a day. Also, if the bill passes into law, social networks are to file reports on these cases and publish it publicly.