Russia: Implemented Law expediting process for blocking mirror sites (Federal Law No. 158-FZ)

On 1 October 2024, Federal Law No. 158-FZ expediting the process for blocking mirror sites, previously Bill 537002-8, entered into force on the day of its publication. The Act amends the Federal Law on Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection to transfer the powers to block access to "mirrors" from the Ministry of Digital Development to the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor). The "mirrors" refer to copies of pirate sites that have already been blocked. The law updates the blocking process, reducing the procedure for restricting access to two days. Furthermore, the law extends the obligation to remove “mirror” pages from search results to all search engine operators, in addition to telecom operators.