Russia: Introduced Bill concerning the punishment of the dissemination of acts of violence on the Internet (Bill No. 506252-8)

On 7 December 2023, the Bill concerning the punishment of the dissemination of acts of violence on the Internet (Bill No. 506252-8) amending the Federal Law "On Information, Information Technologies and on the Protection of Information" and the Federal Law "On the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development" was introduced to the State Duma. The Bill aims to combat so-called "trash streams", which are defined as live broadcasts on the Internet that are accessible to the public and in which violent acts are committed. These include cruelty, sadism, abuse and torture, as well as torture of the victim, in order to raise money through donations and to increase their audience. In particular, photographic and video materials depicting unlawful acts of cruelty, their consequences and incitement to commit such acts will be included in the unified register of domain names, site indexes and network addresses for identifying Internet sites containing information whose dissemination is prohibited in the Russian Federation. The proposed legislation further obliges social media networks to undertake self-monitoring duties. Penalties include fines of up to RUB 700'000.