Suicide is Dangerous?

Russia Will Block Suicide Portals

The government of the Russian Federation has started enforcing a new legislation which gives it the power to block online material deemed unauthorized or harmful to kids. According to press reports, thus far, the Russian regulators have already asked such online giants as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to remove material from their networks deemed objectionable by party officials. However, YouTube resisted the effort, after the government officials asked it to remove a video supposedly promoting suicide.

In the meanwhile, supporters of the legislation in question insist that it’s focused on controlling kids pornography and sensitive material – for example, portals promoting drug use, suicide and things like that. It seems that the Russian authorities believe nobody in Putin’s utopia may have a reason to take their own life or the urge to take drugs.

Nevertheless, opposition leaders decided to raise a number of questions about the new legislation, because the latter seemed to be quite vague and leaving the door open to broader censorship. The opposition expressed fears that this law might be employed to fight social networks if they are used to organize protests against Putin. In addition, they claimed that the taken measures could also negatively reflect on the country’s image abroad.

Thus far, Facebook already agreed to remove a group called Club Suicide, and Twitter also removed tweets related to unauthorized drug deals. In addition, Twitter had to take down a few posts promoting “suicidal thoughts”, which for some reason seem to be quite a common thing in Putin’s paradise. Well, Russia is fighting against censorship and these guys are wise – hopefully, they will find a way out.