Restriction of online freedoms is technologically complicated, politically wrong and is not needed in Russia, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
The statement comes after a number of senior Russian officials spoke in favor of restrictions on the internet. The web became a vital tool for organizing protests in Russia, including the December 10 rally, the largest anti-government protests in Russia for almost two decades.
"I think internet restrictions are impossible. They are technologically complicated and politically wrong," Putin said during his live Q&A session.
He said that there was only one way to respond to online criticism: "to offer other variants, approaches and solutions to those problems at the same web resource, but do it with more creativity and interest and attract a greater number of supporters."
However, Putin said that the use of the internet with illegal intentions should be tracked by law-enforcers.
"Without imposing restrictions, they should be aware of what's going on and do what should be done," the Russian premier said.
On December 8, the head of the Interior Ministry's Bureau for Special Technical Services, Alexei Moshkov, proposed obliging internet users to identify themselves using their real names and publish their actual street addresses on their online accounts.
Moshkov's interview published amid growing protests over the results of the December 4 parliamentary elections sparked a wave of criticism from Russian internet users who accused the Russian authorities of attempting to restrict internet freedom. Later in the day, Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev dismissed the proposal as "nonsense."
About a week later, Russia's Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev said Russia should adopt a Chinese-style government regulation of the internet, which, among other things, blocks "politically sensitive" websites.
