World News for Students of English

07-05-2019 07:00

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new measure last Wednesday which aims to create the country’s own Internet. This would mean that the Internet would no longer need to go through international servers.

The change would let the government take control ‘in case there are threats to the stable, safe and integral operation of the Russian Internet’ in ‘Russian territory’. The country is expected to test the new system later this year, and the legislation is set to take effect in November.

However, some critics fear the new measure could lead to censorship, as Newsy has previously reported. The new legislation might lead to Russia creating its own version of China’s Great Firewall, which China uses to severely hinder free speech.

People reported that Russia has tried to suppress freedom in the past, namely by banning certain sites and messaging platforms because they refused to follow government orders to curb user privacy. Blogs with more than 3,000 monthly visitors have to be registered as media outlets since 2014.

Difficult words: hinder (stop, block), suppress (make less, stop), curb (limit).

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