MOSCOW, July 16 (RAPSI) – A bill envisaging introduction of hefty administrative fines for failures to limit access to or remove banned information, for instance that containing calls for extremism, has reached State Duma; the document is on the database of the lower house of Russia’s Parliament.

The bill developed by Chair of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Alexander Khinshtein and his first deputy Sergey Boyarsky seeks to amend the Code of Administrative Offences; the cap on fines to be introduced is set at 15 million rubles (about $200,000 at the current exchange rate).

According to the explanatory note attached to the document, hosting providers, website and internet resources owners are responsible for limiting access or removal of information banned for dissemination in the Russian Federation; however, no sanctions are currently envisaged for those failing to comply with the respective requirements. The authors of the bill propose to fill this legislative gap.

In case the bill is approved, the Code of Administrative Offences is to envisage fines amounting to from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles ($700 to $1,400) for individuals; from 200,000 to 400,000 rubles ($2,800 to $5,600) for officials; and from 800,000 to 4 million rubles ($11,000 to $56,500) for corporations, where they fail to undertake measures aimed at limiting access to or removal of the said information.

Second-time offenders are to be subjected to steeper fines at from 100,000 to 200,000 rubles ($1,400 to $2,800) for individuals; from 500,000 to 800,000 rubles ($7,000 to $11,000); from 4 million to 8 million rubles ($56,500 to $113,000) for corporations.

Tougher sanctions are to be applied in cases where the banned information contain calls for extremism, child pornography, or instructions for purchase, manufacturing, or use of drugs; the said wrongdoings are to be fined at from 100,000 to 200,000 rubles ($1,400 to $2,800) for individuals; from 400,000 to 800,000 ($5,600 to $11,000) for officials; and from 3 million to 8 million rubles ($42,000 to $113,000) for corporations.

In this category, second-time offenders are to be fined at from 200,000 to 500,000 rubles ($2,800 to $7,000) for individuals; from 800,000 to 1 million rubles ($11,000 to $14,000) for officials; and from 8 million to 15 million rubles ($113,000 to $200,000) for corporations.

The document alleges that Russian legislation is frequently violated by large foreign internet resources like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.