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Facebook takes down Russia page calling for mass protest in support of Putin's biggest critic Facebook takes down Russia page calling for mass protest in support of Putin's biggest critic
(about 5 hours later)
Russian Facebook users appear to have been blocked from accessing a page calling for a protest in support of a prominent dissident, in a sign of the new limits on Facebook’s ability to serve as a platform for political opposition movements. Facebook was accused of giving in to political censorship tonight after it apparently blocked access to a protest page on its site under pressure from the Kremlin.
In 2011, Facebook was hailed by opposition movements during the Arab Spring and in Russia as a powerful new tool to spread information beyond the control of repressive governments. That may no longer be the case, at least not in Russia. In what was described by the former US Ambassador to Russia as a “horrible precedent,” the social network appears to have prevented Russian-based users of its website from visiting a page rallying support for Vladimir Putin’s most prominent opponent Alexei Navalny, who is facing jail.
Russian internet regulators said Saturday that they had sent Facebook a “demand” that it block access to a page calling for a demonstration in support of Alexei Navalny, the most prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Analysts say the move is a “blow for freedom of expression” and may have been prompted by Facebook’s concerns about legislation currently being drawn up in Moscow that could see all foreign-hosted social networks banned next year.
The page was set up on Friday after prosecutors recommended that Navalny be sent to prison for 10 years in a criminal case that critics have said is purely politically motivated. Facebook repeatedly declined to deny that it was responsible for making the protest page inaccessible to Russian users yesterday. A spokeswoman merely pointing out that similar content was still available on the site in Russia.
Within hours, the page drew thousands of people who said they were planning to attend, and as of Saturday evening, the number stood at more than 12,300. But it was no longer visible to users inside Russia. “This content is currently unavailable,” the website told users who tried to access it from inside the country. The development highlights the limits of social media as tool for challenging authoritarian regimes. While the Arab Spring was dubbed a “Facebook Revolution” because of the protesters’ online co-ordination, internet firms are coming under intense pressure to co-operate with the governments of the countries in which they operate.
A Facebook spokeswoman said the company was investigating the matter. Several similar pages, apparently set up Saturday after the first one was blocked, were still visible early on Sunday in Moscow. Vadim Ampelonsky, a spokesman for Russia’s internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, said  that a page calling for a demonstration in support of the opposition politician Mr Navalny was blocked on the orders of the general prosecutor. He told RIA-Novosti news agency that the prosecutor “demanded to limit access to a number of resources calling for an unsanctioned mass event, including social networking groups. The demand has been fulfilled.”
Russia’s internet regulator said it had asked Facebook to block the page because it called for an “unauthorised mass event”. Under a Russian law that went into effect in February, the regulator is empowered to block pages that call for protests that would “infringe the public order”. Facebook is reportedly developing an app that will provide users with anonymity
Facebook is reportedly developing an app that will provide users with anonymity The organisers of the protest had said on Facebook that they did not plan to obtain a permit for the action. More than 12,000 people had already signed up to the Facebook event called “Public gathering to discuss the verdict” when it was blocked to all Russian users.
“At the moment, the demand” to block the page “is being fulfilled” by Facebook, Vadim Ampelonsky, a spokesman for the Russian internet regulator, told the Interfax news service. The page was created on Friday, calling for people to attend a rally on 15 January, the day that Mr Navalny will hear the verdict in a controversial embezzlement case against him. The case could result in a ten year prison sentence and government critics say the whole case is politically motivated.
Facebook, Twitter and other social networks typically work to comply with the laws of the countries in which they have a physical presence. Mr Navalny wrote on his personal website: “It’s rather unpleasant and surprising behaviour by Russian Facebook. I thought they would at least demand a court order rather than rush to block pages as soon as crooks from the Roskomnadzor ask.”
Facebook is popular among Russia’s large and active internet-using population. The company said that it blocked 29 pieces of content within Russia in the first half of 2014 at the Russian government’s request. The former US ambassador, Michael McFaul, who resigned his post earlier this year, wrote on Twitter: “We all make mistakes. @facebook should correct theirs in Russia asap. Current action -- horrible precedent & bad for business”.
Twitter has also blocked accounts within Russia after being ordered to do so by the regulators. Putin, who has previously described the internet as a “project of the CIA,” has introduced new laws over the last year which give the Government the power to block any web page said to include extremist content or to promote participation in unsanctioned events.
On Friday, prosecutors requested that Mr Navalny receive a 10-year prison sentence and that his brother Oleg be sentenced to eight years for their alleged involvement in stealing nearly $500,000 (£320,000) from two companies, one of which is an affiliate of the French cosmetics firm Yves Rocher. Tanya Lokshina, Russia programme director at Human Rights Watch, told The Independent:  “It’s really rather outrageous and under the circumstances you’d expect the leaders of Facebook to at least explain what’s happened. This is quite a blow to freedom of expression.”
Mr Navalny has denied the allegations. Yves Rocher employees say no crime was committed. Ms Lokshina believes Facebook may have capitulated because of fears over new legislation being drawn up which could see the site outlawed from Russia altogether.
Mr Navalny, an anti-corruption blogger, became the most prominent leader of the opposition protests that started in December 2011. They were the largest rejection of Putin’s authority during his 15 years ruling the country. She said: “I would guess the reason it complied is because Facebook wants to remain active in Russia. There’s a very problematic law coming down next year which is a ban on storing private data about Russian users on foreign servers. They’re definitely worried that would mean goodbye Facebook as far as Russia is concerns.
Mr Navalny has been under house arrest since February. The sentencing is expected to take place on 15 January. “It was reported that Facebook and Twitter are negotiating with the communication watchdog in advance of the law. It may be possible that they’re trying to be compliant [in this case] to reinforce their position in Russia.”
Copyright: Washington Post Putin has ramped up his rhetoric against his detractors in recent weeks. Last week he again used a Stalinist term to describe traitors in Russia, saying in his monthly press conference that the “border line between the opposition and the fifth column is very thin”.
He has also issued warnings about the growing number of foreign spies in Russia.
A spokesperson for Amnesty International UK said: “If this is true, then this decision points to a Russian law which completely tramples on the basic rights to free expression and freedom of association.  It would be also deeply disappointing if Facebook has not chosen to engage in a discourse on freedom of expression with the Russian authorities.”
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: “The UK believes that freedom of expression is essential to protect democracy in Russia and elsewhere and we urge all countries to uphold that freedom.”