Russia’s tech and communications regulator issued a warning to Wikipedia regarding misinformation about the war in Ukraine, the latest in the country’s Big Tech crackdown.
The administration behind the online encyclopedia has been notified that it must “immediately remove inaccurate information” pertaining to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, according to the statement issued by Russia regulator Roskomnadzor on Thursday. Failure to remove the misinformation would lead to a fine of up to 4 million rubles, the equivalent of roughly $47,270.
“Roskomnadzor will draw up a protocol on an administrative offense under Art. 13.41 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation in relation to the Internet portal ‘Wikipedia’ for not deleting unreliable socially significant materials, as well as other prohibited information,” the statement from the Russian regulator said.
The owner of the website will receive the fine for failing to “remove such illegal materials within the prescribed period” in compliance with Russian law, according to the statement.
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The Wikimedia Foundation, the parent company of Wikipedia, revealed it had received a request from the Russian government on March 1 demanding the removal of content pertaining to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a March 3 statement from Wikimedia. The content had been uploaded by volunteer contributors working for the Russian Wikipedia.
“As ever, Wikipedia is an important source of reliable, factual information in this crisis,” Wikimedia said of the demand. “In recognition of this important role, we will not back down in the face of efforts to censor and intimidate members of our movement. We stand by our mission to deliver free knowledge to the world.”
After receiving approval from both chambers, Putin signed legislation into effect on March 4 that hit journalists in Russia with prison time if they publish stories that seem to contradict Russian officials’ narrative of the war in Ukraine, including referring to the war as an “invasion.”
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The Washington Examiner reached out to Wikimedia for a statement but did not receive a response.
