Russian watchdog to launch new tool

The entity is planning to launch a new system to filter and block illegal content on the internet.

Russia.- Roskomnadzor, the Russian federal executive body in charge of media and telecommunications regulations, has revealed that it will launch a new online filtering and blocking tool that will target illegal content on the internet.

The news was announced by the head of the department, Alexander Zharov, at a meeting with Russian members of the parliament, but no technical details of the tool were revealed. “We are currently working on a completely new system of filtering and blocking [illegal] content. I believe that it will work within a year, then the situation will change dramatically,” Zharov said.

He regretted that the supervisory authority was “always a step behind” and said: “We are blocking the information that has already appeared on the Internet,” the head of Roskomnadzor stated.

The watchdog has blocked over 90 thousand gambling domains this year, which is 300% more than the number registered in 2017. The country currently features 15 sports betting operators, while the rest of the gambling sites are blocked by Russian laws.