Russian Wikipedia shuts itself down in protest of proposed censorship law
Those visiting Russia's Wikipedia today will see only a statement against the Information Act, which will be debated in the State Duma tomorrow.
Russian-speakers looking up something in Wikipedia today won't find the usual web of articles but a statement of protest. Translated into English by the BBC, the message reads:
The State Duma is expected to hold a second hearing about amendments to the Information Act, which could lead to the creation of extra-judicial censorship of the entire internet in Russia, including banning access to Wikipedia in the Russian language.Today the Wikipedia community voices protest against the introduction of censorship, which is dangerous for the freedom of knowledge - something which must be open-access for all mankind.
The law, which the State Duma will consider tomorrow, would ostensibly be used to shut down child-pornography and suicide-promotion sites, but Internet-freedom advocates say that its scope is much, much wider, and that it will create a Russian equivalent of China's Great Firewall. According to the BBC, if approved, the bill "would allow the government to set up an agency which would maintain a list of banned sites."
Read more at The Atlantic.
Read more at The Atlantic.
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