In Russia they are preparing a concept for an Internet law that will for the first time legally define such terms as internet, site and information activity. The authors propose dividing regulation into humanitarian and economic spheres and tightening the approach to cybercrimes affecting the interests of Russian users. The final draft is planned by the end of May.

In the vast expanses of Russia, the Internet is occupying increasingly significant positions, yet it is still not regulated by any law. The government of our country has decided to fill this gap and has begun developing the concept of the Internet Law.
The new law is supposed to “legalize” the legal concepts of “internet,” “website,” “information activity,” and so on. Work on the draft began after President Medvedev declared the Web a “valuable strategic weapon” that must be “controlled and protected from ill-wishers.”
According to the author of the law – Astamur Tedeev, director of the International Research Institute – the global network has already “reached such a level of development and is capable to such an extent of influencing the life of Russian society that it implies an inevitable transition from self-regulation to state regulation.” And therefore it will be better if “we propose the legislative foundations of state regulation, and not someone else,” said Tedeev’s coauthor, head of the Union of Journalists of Russia Mikhail Fedotov (author of the current law “On the Mass Media”).
Deputies propose dividing the law conditionally into two segments – humanitarian and economic. Economic activity on the Internet may be regulated by the state, and “even strictly.” At the same time, in the “humanitarian segment,” the principles of self-regulation should prevail, believes coauthor of the law concept Astamur Tedeev.
The drafters of the bill propose changing criminal legislation in the field of cybercrime. They believe that cybercrimes committed on any territory and by any person should be punishable if they affect the interests of persons recognizing Russian jurisdiction. Referring to foreign experience, the drafters identify nine types of crimes, including hacking a computer system, publishing obscenities, failing to comply with supervisory authorities’ orders, failing to provide them with decryption tools, deceiving supervision when obtaining licenses for digital signature certification, and violating confidentiality. But this raises the question of who should bear responsibility.
The final version of the law should be ready by the end of May.