Senator Sheikin proposed to create in Russia an analogue of the “Chinese firewall”

In Russia, it is necessary to create an analogue of the “Chinese firewall” to block access to all unwanted sites, Artem Sheikin, a member of the Constitutional Committee of the Federation Council, is convinced. In his opinion, such a measure is necessary in the event “if the ignorance of Russian legislation continues” by foreign resources.

As an example, he cited Wikipedia, which Mr. Sheikin considers an “information weapon” in the hands of Western countries. According to him, this site “deliberately distorts” many historical and political facts concerning Russia. At the same time, he acknowledged that self-regulation of social networks and Internet sites “is quite difficult to ensure.”

“In the Russian Federation, given the unprecedented pressure from Western countries, a clear unfriendly policy, I believe that an analogue of the “Chinese firewall” is needed, which will be able to completely block access to unwanted Internet resources, including VPN services,” he told RIA Novosti “.

In March 2022 Roskomnadzor threatened blocking Wikipedia for an article about the Russian military operation in Ukraine. In the same month, the department contributed site manager Wikimedia Foundation Inc. to the register of companies for “landing” in Russia. In 2023, the fund already seven times fined for not deleting information. The head of the Ministry of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev, however, saidthat in Russia there are no plans to block Wikipedia yet.

Laura Keffer