A bill banning trash streams has been introduced to the State Duma – Kommersant

A group of senators and deputies submitted to the State Duma a package of bills banning the dissemination of photos and videos depicting cruelty, including so-called trash streams. Violators face a fine of up to 700 thousand rubles. Social networks will be required to monitor and identify such materials.

The introduction of the project was reported to Telegram one of the authors of the initiative, head of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy Artem Metelev. According to him, over the past couple of years, the Internet “has become a breeding ground for public broadcasts in which dangerous and simply sick people abuse other people or animals live.” He promised that the authorities “will do everything to make trash streaming as a phenomenon disappear.”

Among the main provisions of the proposed draft law:

• administrative liability (in the form of fines up to 700 thousand and confiscation of property) for trash streamers;
• the fact of conducting a trash stream will be an aggravating circumstance, as well as a qualifying feature under 10 articles of the criminal code;
• the court will be able to impose a ban on conducting activities (including using the Internet);
• reasons are given for blocking “trash content” on the Internet;
• social networks will be required to monitor such content and delete it.

According to the document, the “distribution of photographic and video materials depicting illegal acts committed with cruelty” and their consequences, as well as calls for the commission of such acts will be prohibited. All this will be the basis for inclusion in the unified register of domain names containing information the distribution of which is prohibited in the Russian Federation.

Among the authors of the bill were also the head of the Federation Council Commission on Information Policy Alexey Pushkov, the head of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Andrei Klishas and his first deputy Irina Rukavishnikova, State Duma vice-speakers Anna Kuznetsova, Pyotr Tolstoy, Boris Chernyshov, Irina Yarovaya, head of the committee State Duma on information policy Alexander Khinshtein.

Trash stream is a type of live broadcast in which the host commits provocative actions, most often with the aim of receiving monetary rewards from viewers. Artem Metelev back in 2022 offered create a register of trash streamers, which would mean being blocked from social networks and being forced to disconnect from the network.

Laura Keffer