Censorship row over Russian internet blacklist

Russian internet users warned on Monday that a new law aimed at blacklisting websites devoted to drug use, suicide promotion and paedophilia was being used as a tool for censorship after two popular sites were banned.

More than 180 sites have been banned since the law came into effect on 1 November, RIA-Novosti, a state-run news agency, reported. No official public register of the blacklist exists, though the government has opened a portal where users can check to see if specific sites are on it.

Analysts have warned that the vaguely worded law could be manipulated to crack down on the Russian internet, the one media platform untouched by the Kremlin’s heavy hand — via redwolf.newsvine.com