Russians will try to close 700 websites popularizing drugs
Fri Mar 25, 2005 4:36 pm
700 Internet websites popularize drugs - Russian official
MOSCOW. March 22 (Interfax) - The Internet has more than 700 web sites popularizing drugs and offering users tips on how to make them, said a highly-placed official with the Federal Drug Control Service.
"Such web sites are accessible in this country and abroad. We'll have to contact providers, who have the right to close web sites damaging public interests, and we have serious plans to deal with this problem," Lt. Gen. Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Federal Drug Control Service's information department, said on Ekho Moskvy radio on Monday evening...
Last year the EU proposed that sites popularising drugs should be shut-down (in particular, sites giving cannabis growing instructions). I think that idea got shot down for good. As much as people feel the need to exercise their free speech - be aware that if you want this site to last a long time you need to be a little cool.
Some of the practices of the hive were sensible damage limitation exercises. But even so, it was their ISP that finally ditched them - wasn't it?
Nearly all internet control is still informal, but there's nothing to stop governments bringing in censorship laws. There are already 50 specific censorship laws in the UK, where I live.