MOSCOW: Russian lawmakers on Thursday approved a bill that would allow Moscow to cut the country's internet traffic from foreign servers, in a key second reading paving the way for legislation that activists fear is a step towards online isolation.
Thousands of people rallied last month against this and other bills that critics say aim at restricting information and communication online. Russian business news website RBK reported in March that implementing the measures would cost an estimated 30 billion rubles . Levin said that ahead of the second reading lawmakers had looked through 58 proposed amendments and that the legislation included comments from critics and industry experts.Internet activist Artyom Kozlyuk said however the amended text was even more vague than the previous version and"did not change for the better."