Putin called for social media activities of ‘certain companies’ to be monitored during elections
On Monday, December 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the activities of "some companies" in social networks to be monitored during the upcoming presidential elections. He also called for an assessment of the extent of their involvement in domestic politics.
He did not directly name any of the companies, nor did he differentiate any particular concerns between the activities of foreign or local firms. However, Putin’s call comes in the aftermath of accusations by the United States and other Western countries of Russia meddling in their elections.
"But we need to look closely at how some companies work on the Internet, in social media, how widely they are involved in our domestic political life," Putin said at a meeting with the leaders in Russia’s parliament concerning the new law on "foreign agents."
Last month, Putin signed a law allowing the authorities to designate foreign media outlets as "foreign agents." Allegedly, this was done in response to unacceptable US pressure on Russian media. Once designated, such organizations need to provide the authorities with reports, including their sources of funding.
"It should be carefully analyzed, how they are operating and will be operating during the presidential election, the election campaign," the President said, adding that it should not narrow the space of freedom on the Internet.
Among Russia’s recent additions to the list of foreign agents are Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty and Voice of America.