April 06, 2025

Log Your Blog, or Else


Log Your Blog, or Else
So, whatcha writing there? The Russian Life files

On April 4, the Deputy Head of Russia's State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Anton Gorelkin, announced on Telegram that a law outlining consequences for well-known social media users who don't register with the government is in the works.

In November 2024, a law was passed requiring anyone with a blog or social media presence of greater than 10,000 followers to register with Roskomnadzor, the agency that oversees internet use in Russia. Since then, 214,000 netizens have applied for registration, with 134,000 approved. 

The new law would impose a penalty on those who fail to register. What the punishment would be remains to be seen.

In addition, Gorelkin floated the idea of lowering the threshold below 10,000 followers. The law would impact not only users of large, international apps like TikTok, YouTube, X, Pinterest, and Facebook, but also Russian sites like Odnoklassniki, Telegram, and RuTube.

The move comes as the Russian state has cracked down on internet use as part of a wave of restrictions following the start of the war in Ukraine. This has included both blocking sites for Russian users (often sidestepped with a decent VPN) and strangling internet communities it deems harmful. The drive to force influencers to register is one way to further exert control and surveillance.

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