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Russian President, Putin signs controversial internet law

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Despite protests by some rights groups in the country, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday signed into law a “sovereign internet” bill which will allow Russian authorities to isolate the country’s internet.

Russian authorities have in recent years blocked online sites and content linked to the opposition, as well as internet services which fail to cooperate with them

According to Russian lawmakers, the new law is necessary to ensure the security of Russia’s online networks.

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Critics of the bill on the other hand say the vaguely worded bill gives new censorship powers to government monitors.

The text of the law was published Wednesday but it will not come into effect until November.

The measures include creating technology to monitor internet routing and to steer Russian internet traffic away from foreign servers, ostensibly to prevent a foreign country from shutting it down.

Authors of the initiative say Russia must ensure the security of its networks after US President Donald Trump unveiled a new American cybersecurity strategy last year that said Russia had carried out cyber attacks with impunity.

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