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Cut off internet and don’t worry be happy, believes Russian president’s councilor on internet

Many developed countries work hard in order to provide informational security in national interests. They adopt new laws, adapt to new digital realities, but internet, at least most part of it, is not banned. But sometimes it is easy to simulate hard work, instead of to do it. The only way to provide informational security in Russia is to enforce restrictions on internet like in China, believes German Klimenko, Russian president’s councilor on internet.

“The only way is “Chinese option”. Obviously the control is a must, because there is no any opportunity to prevent it (perhaps he meant a threat to national informational security, who really knows). The China has assessed the threat and restricted the internet. Currently they don’t have such problems.” – said German Klimenko during his lecture “Informational security of Russia”.

He also claimed that foreign companies don’t respond to enquiries of Russian enforcement authorities. “We are in a strange position, when the foreign company, residing in Russian Federation, makes money (i.e. runs profitable business), however no one enquiry of enforcement authorities is not satisfied. Unfortunately we can’t write to What’s app and ask them to disable encryption.” – said Klimenko. He also underlined that if foreign messengers will not collaborate with Russian enforcement authorities, then “any state, respecting itself, should throw them out”.

Russian Internet-Ombudsman, Dmitry Marinichev, believes restriction of internet in Russia on the principle of “Chinese model” is impossible and counterproductive. “It is disaster. To fight with technologies this way – it is nothing. It would lead to absence of resolution. Because then you would need to struggle with your own citizens. ” According to Marinichev, a definition of “informational security” can bear any sense and people must decide themselves what knowledge is harmful and what isn’t.

Press secretary of Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, stated that Klimenko’s statement concerning restriction of internet in Russia is Klimenko’s private opinion; it is not official position of Russian government.

Little later Klimenko explained what exactly he was talking about. The words about China’s experience on Internet regulation were not proposition to use such model in Russia. He was only reading a lecture about regulation of internet. “Chinese experience is very interesting, but there are different options, it is not only Chinese story. Why it has so happened, that I call to shut, is not understandably.”