Thanks to Blogger now I am aware of this law European Union Law. Although we have learned about copy right laws and creative commons licenses this got me thinking if there are other laws out there about blogging. I found a very interesting article about a law that went into effect in Russia last year. It was interesting that the first thing I saw when I went to read the article was their cookies notice, abiding with the the new European Union Blog Law.
A year ago, on August 1st, 2014, Russia passed a law requiring popular bloggers to register as mass media. According to the article, it was an attempt to "weaken opposition voices online and control information exchange in the country". If your blog receives over 3,000 views a day you could be at chance to face a criminal offense. This is a form of government censorship that doesn't seem fair to me in our growing global online world. Russia's government also has the power to eliminate any website without explanation. Alexei Navalny, an opposition activist, had his blog shut down was then arrested for using twitter, which was apparently banned from his house arrest terms.
What would you do if your freedom of speech via your blog was taken away like that?
References:
Blogger.com
http://calvertjournal.com/news/show/2952/mass-media-law-for-bloggers-comes-into-effect
I saw that blogger notice last night -- haven't taken the time to investigate it yet.
ReplyDeleteIn the Russia context, it's clear that their government -- and others that have tried to suppress free speech -- fear what ordinary citizens can do with these open platforms.