Russia tries to ban Wikipedia in latest internet crackdown
Russia is trying to entirely block Wikipedia, in its latest crackdown on the internet.
TheĀ Russian governmentĀ recently bolstered its watchdog’s powers to censor the internet – and over the past yearĀ a number of blocks have been placed on ‘dissenting’ groups.
Russiaās main support group for teenagers who identify as LGBT,Ā Children-404, was quietly blocked by authorities onĀ Russian social media site VKontakte in April.
Now Russia is coming under even more fire for clamping down on freedom of speech – after plans emerged to blockĀ the entirety of internet encyclopaedia Wikipedia, purportedlyĀ over one drugs-related article.
The country says it was trying to block an article onĀ charas – a hashish form of cannabis which is handmade in India, and which is not commonly made in Russia.
However, because the site employs a secure HTTPS protocol, the Russian government does not have the technology to block individual pages.
Due to this, and the unwillingness of the site’s owners the Wikimedia FoundationĀ to help Russia censor the internet, the country insteadĀ plans to blockĀ the entirety of Wikipedia.
A statement said: “Every year the Wikimedia Foundation receives requests from governments, individuals, and companies to take down or alter Wikipedia content.
“We grant few to none, complying only when legally required under US law, as the Wikimedia Foundation subject to US jurisdiction.
“When content is not illegal under US law, the volunteer editors who maintain Wikipedia generally retain editorial discretion.”
It adds: “With more than one million articles and a billion page views per month, Russian Wikipedia is a rich and valuable source of neutral, reliable information.
“Russian Wikipedia is built for Russian speakers by Russian speakers, and features rich resources about Russian history, culture, and geography.
“If it goes ahead, the block will result in millions of people in Russia losing access to free knowledge about the world around them.”
