Time to monitor, how new laws in Russia will curb the fake news

Moscow, March 21: President Vladimir Putin has signed law legislation that will fine online media for spreading “fake news” and punish those who exhibit “blatant disrespect” to the state with fines or jail sentences.

A majority of Russians think a controversial new set of laws will effectively reduce the spread of false information online, according to a state-run survey published on Wednesday. The Moscow Times published this report.

Fifty-seven percent of Russian respondents said the amount of fake news will decline with the new law, the state-funded VTsIOM pollster reported. Almost 30 percent foresaw no change, while 4 percent said the law will lead to more fake news.

More than 80 percent approved of the new law, while 13 percent said it was unnecessary.

Meanwhile, more than 20 percent of VTsIOM’s respondents said they were hearing about the fake news law for the first time. More than 60 percent said they had “heard something about it,” while 17 percent said they were well-informed about the law’s passage.

VTsIOM conducted the survey among 1,600 Russians on March 19.

The new rules allow prosecutors to direct complaints about material considered insulting to Russian officials to the government, which can then block websites publishing the information. Publications that repeatedly spread "unreliable" information which undermines social order, may face fines of up to $23,000, and repeat offenders could spend time in jail. The laws will target online information that presents "clear disrespect for society, government, state symbols, the constitution and government institutions."