Russian MPs pass 'right to be forgotten' Internet law

July 04, 2015 04:07

Russian lawmakers today passed a bill allowing people to force Internet search engines to remove links to data about them, overriding objections from the country's largest search provider.

The legislation -- broader than the European Union's "right to be forgotten" initiative -- was passed by overwhelming majority in Russia's Kremlin-loyal parliament.

President Vladimir Putin still needs to sign the law for it to come into effect. The proposed legislation could be implemented as early as January next year.

The bill allows people to force Internet search engines to remove links to data they claim is inaccurate, outdated or published unlawfully, and has sparked fears that it could be used to delete information critical of the authorities.

An earlier version of the bill was tweaked after opposition from Russia's main search engine Yandex, but the company said it still had major objections to the final version of the law.

"Our attempts to introduce some crucial amendments to this bill have unfortunately been unsuccessful," Yandex said in a statement.

"Our point has always been that a search engine cannot take on the role of a regulatory body and act as a court or law enforcement agency," it said.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

India No. 1 in ODIs, T20Is; Australia top Test rankings

India may have lost the ODI World Cup final to Australia but have increased their lead over them from three to six points, leading the table with 122 points.

Post-mortem confirms Salman home shooting accused died by hanging: Police

He had allegedly hanged himself with a bed sheet in the toilet of the lock-up, as per the police.

Proof Why Ananya-Malaika Are So Stylish

Film folk raised Mumbai's summer temperatures even higher when they walked the red carpet at the second edition of the Bollywood Hungama's Style Icons Summit and Awards 2024 on May 2.

It's a bit daunting: Jacks on being RCB's next ABD

Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Will Jacks opened up on filling the shoes of legendary South African batter AB de Villiers as franchise's premier overseas batter, saying that the task is "daunting".

RR Vs SRH: Who Took The Best Catch? Vote!

It was a game which would be more remembered for the dropped catches more than the ones that were held.