The State Duma adopted in the second, key reading, bills on fake news and disrespect for the authorities. After harsh criticism, the bills were amended. The Internet media and citizens received the "right to make a mistake," but the maximum amount of fines increased tenfold. Both for "fakes" and for insulting the authorities.
By the second reading, the draft law on fake news was amended to introduce a preliminary notification procedure for registered online media outlets, within which they will be able to independently delete inaccurate socially significant information within 24 hours and not be blocked.
Other sites and user accounts can be blocked immediately.
In addition, “traditional media” (print media, television and radio) and news aggregators were removed from the bill. For the latter, according to the author of the amendments, the head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Leonid Levin, and so "there is significant administrative liability for failure to comply with the instructions of Roskomnadzor on the dissemination of inaccurate information" (quoted by RIA Novosti).
Similar amendments were made to the draft law on sanctions for offensive publications about society and state symbols. This document also made a clarifying wording, according to which the information to be blocked "must not only show obvious disrespect and be shown in an indecent form, but must offend human dignity and public morality."
Fines for "fake news" and insulting the authorities increased tenfold
Despite the softening of certain provisions of the draft laws, in the final version, the fines provided for the dissemination of "knowingly false socially significant information" were radically increased.
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Citizens for this will face a fine in the amount of 30 thousand to 100 thousand rubles (in the first reading there were only 3-5 thousand), officials - from 60 thousand to 200 thousand rubles (in the first reading - 30-50 thousand), legal entities - from 200 thousand to 500 thousand rubles (in the first reading - from 400 thousand to 1 million). The confiscation of the subject of an administrative offense is also provided - the device from which the illegal content was sent.
In the event that the spread of "fakes" has interfered with the functioning of life support facilities, transport or social infrastructure, communications, energy, industry or credit institutions, fines from 100 thousand to 1 million rubles are provided. If, due to fake news, a person dies, or harm to health or property, or a massive violation of public order or safety occurs, infrastructure facilities cease to function, then the amount of the fine can be up to 1.5 million rubles.
Fines for insulting the authorities by the second reading also increased - from 30 thousand to 100 thousand rubles (in the first reading it was from 1 thousand to 5 thousand rubles), for repeated insults - from 100 thousand to 200 thousand rubles. Or arrest for 15 days - the deputies decided not to give up this punishment, although such proposals were heard in the State Duma. The fine can reach 300 thousand rubles if the offense is committed a third time.
Klishas bills
In mid-December 2018, two bills were submitted to the State Duma. The first introduces fines for the media for publishing fake news. The second is punishment of up to 15 days of arrest for disseminating information on the Internet that “expresses obvious disrespect in an indecent form” towards society, the state, official symbols and government bodies.
The bills were initiated by the head of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation Andrei Klishas and supported by several more senators and deputies. The authors suggested blocking extrajudicially Internet resources with both fake news and disrespectful comments about the authorities. The decision should be made at the level of the prosecutor general or his deputies.
The government provided positive feedback on both bills, but asked for clarification on some of the wording.
In the first reading, both bills were adopted on January 24.
Political scientists explain the increase in fines for the second reading by the initiative "from the very top". “The authorities are confident that they will be trolled and insulted. She is confident that low fines will not stop the unrestrained initiative of the masses and rudeness,”political analyst Andrei Kolyadin told Vedomosti.
How the bills were criticized
At first, officials sharply criticized Senator Klishas's initiatives.
At the first meeting of the Duma Committee on Information, a representative of the Ministry of Digital Development Yekaterina Larina said that her department, as well as the Ministry of Justice and Roskomnadzor, did not support the bills.
“The first analysis that was made gave the basis for a large number of comments, which, in our opinion, do not allow us to support the draft laws in the presented version,” said Larina.
As a result, none of the participants in that meeting in the State Duma publicly supported the draft laws. Senator Klishas and deputy Dmitry Vyatkin, who became a co-author of the bills, left without waiting for the end of the hearings.
Deputy Minister of Communications Alexei Volin criticized the bills even harsher. “One of the tasks of government agencies is to calmly listen to criticism of their work. Not sugar ones,”Volin told Vedomosti.
At first, the Prosecutor General's Office also opposed, but later sent a letter to parliament in which it supported the concept of the bill.
Without waiting for the law
State Duma Chairman Viacheslav Volodin appealed to the still unapproved bill on fake news, when he demanded to "deal" with the publication of the Yekaterinburg edition of Ura.ru - that the State Duma is allegedly discussing the idea of banning citizens who do not have a garage from buying cars.
Volodin demanded to find out who is the founder of this media outlet, and to make the owners of the publication responsible for the distribution of fake news.
This week the speaker said that the topic related to criticism of Ura.ru is closed. As explained by the head of the Committee on Information Policy Leonid Levin, the management of the publication admitted that when the comments of the interlocutors were transferred to the State Duma, an "arbitrary interpretation" was allowed. The publication, according to him, apologized to the deputies - and to all those who "could suffer from a distorted interpretation."
