The Russian government now has the right to classify individual journalists, bloggers and even social media users as “foreign agents” with a new law signed by Vladmir Putin.
Russia’s new law extends further, to include individual journalists and bloggers - or anyone who distributes content from outlets registered as foreign agents and receives funding from abroad.
The new norms allow the Russian government to block websites of foreign agents or legal entities established by them in case the information published by foreign media outlets violates Russian regulations.
Under the Russian law, any stories produced by a person receiving funds from abroad will need to be labeled as having been distributed by a foreign agent.