Internet Freedom Index: January’s Expected Decline

According to research by the Internet Protection Society (OZI), Russia’s Internet Freedom Index dropped by 25 points in January, with one of the most significant negative events being the proposed “Sovereign Runet” bill.

The Internet Protection Society has been publishing Russia’s monthly Internet Freedom Index for exactly three years. “The trend is well known: in 36 months, the index has only risen three times and remained stable three times—while the remaining 30 times, it has consistently fallen,” the January report notes. Last month was no exception; the index dropped again, and quite significantly—losing 25 points (one of the largest drops in the history of the index), settling at 345 points.

Amid generally negative news, the most concerning development is the so-called “Klishas bill,” or the “Internet Sovereignty Bill.” Here are some expert comments:

• “A very bad story. A clear example of how greed combined with incompetence leads to the Internet in Russia truly becoming unreliable. It’s even a bit frightening.”
  — Vladimir Kharitonov, Executive Director of the Association of Internet Publishers
• “This is a very serious initiative, critically dangerous for Internet freedom. I still hope that disconnecting Russia from the Internet is harder than lawmakers in the Duma imagine.”
  — Igor Ivanov, Head of the Department of Information Technologies at Belgorod State Technological University

Independent information security expert Valery Ledovsky sums it up: “To strengthen sovereignty, you shouldn’t isolate yourself from other countries, but learn to cooperate on your own terms and develop the art of dialogue. Without access to the global Internet, the country’s development will be impossible. More than half of the world’s information is in English and, as a rule, on foreign websites.”

However, as OZI notes, this is obvious to everyone except Russian lawmakers.

The only January event where expert opinions were divided (though the average assessment was still negative) was the preparation of a pilot project by Rossvyaz and telecom operators for mandatory smartphone identification by IMEI code. For example, OZI’s Executive Director Mikhail Klimarev gave this initiative a negative assessment but believes the “experiment” will likely fail (as it did in Kazakhstan), while Internet expert Anton Klochkoff simply commented, “It’s about time.”

Key Events Affecting Internet Freedom in January

Experts evaluated 22 media reports related to Internet freedom in Russia, but OZI focused on the following seven:

1. State Duma Considers “Disconnecting” Russia from the Internet
   Disconnecting Russia from the Internet is being considered as a possible response to increased Western pressure. Leonid Levin, head of the Duma’s Committee on Information Policy, stated that growing international tensions and calls for more pressure on Russia are forcing authorities to consider “additional measures to protect the sovereignty of the Russian Federation in cyberspace.”
2. Rossvyaz and Operators Prepare Pilot Project for Smartphone IMEI Identification
   Telecom operators and the Central Research Institute of Communications (CNIIS), under Rossvyaz, are preparing a pilot project to identify smartphones using unique international IMEI numbers. At the Gaidar Forum, Rossvyaz head Oleg Dukhovnitsky explained that a bill was drafted in December 2018 to introduce a system for controlling phones and tablets by IMEI, allowing only devices with approved numbers to be registered on networks. Devices without an assigned IMEI, or with duplicate numbers, would be denied network access, as would stolen or lost phones.
3. FSO Seeks to Classify Its Procurement
   The Federal Protective Service (FSO) posted a bill on the Federal Portal of Draft Regulatory Acts proposing to classify its procurement processes. The agency cites national security concerns and increased terrorist threats as justification. The bill would allow procurement to be conducted through closed procedures, ensuring the implementation of state security measures.
4. Criminal Case Against Pediatric Surgeon in Krasnodar for Social Media Video on School Shortages
   In Krasnodar, prosecutors opened an administrative case against pediatric surgeon Yana Antonova for posting a video by “Open Russia” on Facebook. According to Radio Liberty, she is accused of participating in the activities of an “undesirable organization.” Antonova wrote on her Facebook page that on January 17, she and her lawyer were shown the order to initiate the case, which was based on her posting a video with the “Open Russia” logo discussing an appeal to State Duma deputies.
5. Bills on Punishing Fake News and Disrespect for Authorities Await Revision
   The State Duma passed in the first reading bills introducing administrative liability for spreading fake news and information expressing disrespect for state authorities in an indecent form. The second reading will take place no earlier than a month later, according to Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin. The bills, introduced by senators Andrey Klishas and Lyudmila Bokova and Duma deputy Dmitry Vyatkin, propose fines for spreading false news that threatens life, health, or public order: 3,000–5,000 rubles for individuals, 30,000–50,000 for officials, and 400,000–1,000,000 for legal entities. Websites publishing fake news could be blocked without a court order. Publicly showing disrespect for the state in an indecent form would be punishable by a fine of 1,000–5,000 rubles or up to 15 days’ arrest, with websites also being blocked.
6. Hundreds of Millions Allocated to Monitor “Anti-Social Phenomena and Subcultures” Online
   The Ministry of Education and Science posted a draft government decree on the Federal Portal of Draft Regulatory Acts, allocating 628 million rubles over three years to search for information online that threatens the life and health of children. The grant is provided to the “Center for the Study and Network Monitoring of Youth Environment,” whose mission is to monitor the spread of information in telecommunications networks, including the Internet, that encourages or otherwise incites children to actions threatening their own or others’ lives and health.
7. Central Bank Granted Authority to Block Websites—First Reading Passed in Duma
   The State Duma passed in the first reading bill No. 605945-7, granting the Bank of Russia the authority to block websites that violate Russian financial market laws or are used for fraudulent activities. The bill was developed and submitted by a group of Federation Council senators and Duma deputies led by Valentina Matvienko and Vyacheslav Volodin.

Given that February saw a vote on the highly controversial “Sovereign Runet” bill—highlighting the authorities’ persistent unwillingness to listen to citizens or the parliamentary minority—it is unlikely that the current month will show any improvement in the Internet Freedom Index.

There is also a noted trend of shifting punishments for reposts to “justification of terrorism”: human rights activists point out that the partially decriminalized Article 282 of the Criminal Code is gradually being replaced by the much harsher Article 205.2 on justifying terrorism. Authorities are also using a whole range of other articles to prosecute Russian citizens for statements made online.