Russia Duma approves bill targeting spread of fake news News
© WikiMedia (Dmitry Ivanov)
Russia Duma approves bill targeting spread of fake news

Russia’s lower house, the State Duma, passed [in Russian] a bill on Thursday that would fine individuals and companies for spreading “fake news.”

The Duma defines fake news as “unreliable socially significant information distributed under the guise of authentic messages and posing a security risk.” Russia’s Prosecutor General will be the one to determine whether the information in question falls into the category of “fake news.”

The fines vary depending on whether the information was distributed by a private citizen (about USD $450 to $1500), an official, or a corporation (about $3000 to $7500). The fines increase for repeat offenders or if the “fake news” caused actual harm (to over $6000 for private citizens and $22,600 for corporations).

Chairman of the Committee on State Construction and Legislation, Pavel Krasheninnikov said that the bill is intended to be a preventative measure.

The bill was originally introduced last December. The upper house will still have to approve the bill, and it must be signed by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.