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Interior Ministry suggests the banning of anonymity in the Internet

Some mass media organs linked his proposal with the growth of protest activity of Russians after the parliamentary elections

MOSCOW, December 9 (Itar-Tass) — Alexei Moshkov, head of the burea of special technical activities under the Interior Ministry, suggested on Thursday the taking of measures against anonymity in the Internet. In his opinion, “today social networks not only have some advantages, but also create a potential threat to the fundamentals of society.” Some mass media organs linked his proposal with the growth of protest activity of Russians after the parliamentary elections, in which the Internet is playing an important role.

Major General Moshkov believes that stability of the fundamentals of society may be ensured by banning the publication of anonymous reports, The Novye Izvestia writes. “One may get registered under his real name, may report his address and after that communicate with others. An honest and law-abiding person does not have to hide. Let me remind you that there is no censorship in the Internet. The “K” Department will not search for anybody or arrest anybody for criticism,” he stated point-blank.

At the same time, contrary to Mashkov’s statement, a report came on Thursday about the attempts to impose censorship in VKontakte social network, The Novye Izvestia writes. Eduard Kot, administrator of the group in the social network, which rallies supporters of Alexei Navalny’s project RosPil, wrote about it in his blog.

Anton Nosik, a well-known blogger, believes that pressure exerted on VKontakte is “a local initiative of some officials.” “If the imposing of censorship in the Internet were the purpose of the state policy, a refusal to cooperate with the security services would not be enough,” he said in an interview with The Novye Izvestia. According to Nosik, some officials regularly demonstrate their desire to put an end to dissent in the Internet. He thinks the level of pressure on the Internet on the part of the security services did not change in connection with protest actions.