back to article 'Think of the children', Putin tells startup-land

Russian president Vladimir Putin has told a startup forum that the country isn't trying to clamp down on Internet freedoms, but is merely focussed on child protection. Reuters reports that Vlad has deployed the “think of the children” angle while trying to hose down fears that Moscow is tightening its grip on freedom of …

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  1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

    "“every day a third of our population uses the Internet and of course, there has to be some regulation”, but that the government doesn't want to stifle a “5 trillion roubles” business."

    "...we want to own it, and make sure that it can't threaten any of our other interests", he muttered under his breath.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      no need to mutter anything

      he knows it, we know it. Russians know it. I mean, what would you expect to hear from a politician, and a spy? Lies?

  2. Mark 85

    Thinking of the children, he is?

    Probably. Wouldn't want to their minds filled with ideas that weren't his or his cronies.... past, present, and future. Have to make sure they are truly Russian thinkers. I guess the KGB, etc. isn't really dead... just sleeping.

  3. dan1980

    It is defensible to block content when that content itself is illegal. Child Pornography being the prime (and most well-worn) example.

    It is not defensible, however, to block content that merely describes, or even advocates illegal behaviour, unless that is, in itself, illegal.

    At that point, the problem is not filtering/blocking but the laws that fuel it, such as laws banning homosexual 'propaganda'.

  4. TwoWolves

    Meh

    I don't see a lot of difference between what he's proposing from what the EU and the US governments are doing or want to do with the internet. His assertion that the CIA (I think he's referring to Google) controls the internet is also not far wrong. It's just that he's the demon du jour so we are supposed to complain when he says something we hear our politicians say almost every day.

    You should see the budgets the EU have for moulding our minds on the internet, or even charitable organisations that have mysterious wads of cash for this purpose. Internet freedom is already dead, let's just hope it doesn't get too much deader.

    1. Slx

      Re: Meh

      I'm not sure which organisation you're looking at there but the EU hardly even has a budget to handle it's own legitimate communications issues never mind any thought control technology.

      They've difficulty communicating what the EU does.

      Also the European Courts struck down data retention laws as contrary to the fundamental European citizens rights.

      It's been national governments who have been pushing internet control measures (notably the UK). The EU has largely been pushing net freedoms.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Childcatcher

    This is beginning to sound like "Bananas"

    One of Woody Allen's early 1970s movies about dictatorship, revolution...and more dictatorship in a fictitious Latin American country. I clearly remember from the new revolutionary leader promising to hold elections "once everyone in the country learns how to play a musical instrument".

  6. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

    Think of the children

    Well, blog leads to porn, porn leads to pain, pain leads to suffering. Before you know it they will be wanting a change of government! Someone has to protect the children!

    But it's OK, Mr Putin is not saying anything that, for example, Jacqui Smith wouldn't have said... or Alan Johnson... or Theresa May...

  7. MatsSvensson

    The problem blames the solution

    Yeah, because no children were ever hurt by fascist dictators.

    Free speech is clearly the real threat...

    If he truly cared about the children, he should kill himself.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    Next up :

    Banning all gay websites...

  9. Richard Jones 1
    FAIL

    Fishing Sites and Bank Details Stealing Sites are OK Then

    I guess he will not want to kill of the export industry that his friends and lovers run stealing bank details and cash from the west as that would only be illegal in the west.

    Is he still a gay icon with his horse riding shirt off images?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    what's the big deal?

    we've already decided that massive private internet companies can regulate free speech to suit their own and their Masters' whims, and with those private companies being contracted more and more by our government, defacto speech, negative review and competitors' products (or political party) can be controlled because "they can do what they want".

    Unless the Politically Correct Sacred Cows are the recipients of such suppression, then it's "A Big Problem".

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