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MOSCOW (AP) \u2014 Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed \u201cextremist,\u201d the latest move by government authorities in their relentless crackdown on dissent.<\/p>\n
The bill passed by the lower house, the State Duma, moves to its all-but-certain endorsement in the upper house and then goes to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law.<\/p>\n
The legislation punishes what it describes as \u201cdeliberately searching for and accessing extremist materials\u201d online. First-time offenders face a fine of up to the equivalent of $64.<\/p>\n
The official definition of extremist activity is extremely broad and includes opposition groups like the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the \u201cinternational LGBT movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear how authorities will track down violators. Some observers have suggested the information would likely come from internet providers or social media platforms, and police also could randomly check the search history of cellphones or computers.<\/p>\n
The new legislation also contained a ban on advertising of virtual private network services, but stopped short of banning their use. It did list the use of a VPN<\/a> as an \u201caggravating circumstance\u201d in case of other violations of the law.<\/p>\n