President Vladimir Putin has signed a document outlining the four areas in which he believes that information and communications technology, or ICT, must be controlled to ensure Russia's safety.
The document, which sets out Russia's international policy on information security, was signed by Putin late last week, Kommersant reported Thursday.
The four areas where ICT is to be controlled are:
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as an "information weapon" in acts of aggression for military and political purposes.
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for the purpose of terrorism.
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to conduct cyber crime, such as illegal access to electronic information, and the creation and distribution of computer viruses.
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for interfering with internal state affairs, disturbing public order, promotion of hatred and incitement of violence.
The legislation is an attempt to avoid a situation like the Arab Spring occurring in Russia, Kommersant reported, citing an unidentified source. The Internet played a vital role in the coordination of anti-government activities during the wave of revolutionary protests and demonstrations that broke out in the Arab world in December 2010.
The Kremlin wants the friendly BRICS nations and other international organizations to help push its ICT security principles through the UN. The idea is to use them as an international cyberspace code of conduct, the report said.
Russia's Security Council and other ministries are expected to provide the president with feedback on how the proposed measures can be deployed.
