On Tuesday, Aug 25, Russia has lifted its ban on the Russian Wikipedia website after only a few hours. The ban has caused a commotion among online users in the country, especially in Moscow. The block has been put in effect on Monday, Aug. 24, after communication watchdogs in the federation notified internet providers to block any access to the website.
Russian users reported that beginning on late Monday, they have not been able to access Wikipedia. According to a New York Times report, a provincial court ruled that the website's entry in Hashish has banned information in it. The contributors of the entry have already edited the page. Come Tuesday, the ban has already been canceled, and Russian users are able to access Wikipedia normally again.
Users, however, claimed that only the article title has been changed. The content is said to have been left untouched. The communication watchdog that reported the site has yet to comment on this action. Similarly, Wikipedia has not released any statement regarding the short-lived ban. The Russian Federation has recently made categories of which information it considers as banned.
Russia has been exerting control over the internet and has also been reported to have Reddit blocked for a time. The said Wikipedia ban elicited responses from press people in the country. "I think they're trying to show they can ban whatever they want, whenever they want," Nikolay Kononov, editor-in-chief of the digital business magazine SecretMag.ru, told 'The Verge'. Kononov has openly criticized Russia's policy regarding social media.
The latest parameters regarding information cited that any content which can be seen as implying hatred will be classified as banned. This includes drug use, violence, suicide and other similar topics. The laws passed suggesting these parameters enable authorities to block content-makers whom they think break the laws that have been set. The country has been criticised for blocking the official blog of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Co-founded by Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia is known to be an open-source platform in which anyone may contribute and edit content. The site has branched into many other platforms like WikiHow, Wikimedia and many others. Wales has also recently launched "The People's Operator," a mobile network that donates proceeds to charities.