The Parliamentary Committee on State Construction has initiated unprecedented legislative changes that radically alter the digital legal space in the Russian Federation. The draft law, prepared by leading deputies from the ruling party, provides for imposing serious financial sanctions for online searches of specifically defined information materials.
Key legal expert Evgeny Smirnov defines this initiative as the first attempt to criminalize information consumption in the digital space. Previous practice was focused on prosecuting creators of prohibited content, while the new proposals expand the scope of law enforcement.
The draft law, developed by deputies such as Vasily Piskarev, Evgeny Moskvichers, and Alexander Hinstein, introduces specific financial penalties. Intentional searching of materials from the federal list of extremist content is subject to fines between 3000 and 5000 rubles.
Additional sanctions are provided for distributing means of circumventing information restrictions. Differentiated fines range from 50 to 500 thousand rubles depending on the subject - individual or legal entity.
Expert Smirnov emphasizes that the draft law will have a significant impact on telecommunications operators. They will be obliged to assist the SORM system in operational search activities, which significantly expands their responsibilities.
Currently, the register of banned materials contains 5,473 entries. An interesting detail is that even search engines like Yandex and Google can become objects of surveillance, especially when the user does not use VPN protection.
The draft law provides for entry into force from September 1, 2025. Experts define it as similar to the existing restrictions in Belarus, where similar restrictive measures were introduced after the protests in 2020.
An important clarification is that prosecution will only exist for materials explicitly included in the official register. Investigations not part of this list will not be subject to sanctions.
Smirnov adds that law enforcement agencies have the necessary technical capabilities for monitoring, and Russian IT companies are ready to provide complete user information upon request.