Putin targets US social media, secret agent leaks with new laws

Moscow

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin signed an array of laws on Wednesday handing Russia new powers to restrict US social media giants, label individuals "foreign agents", and to crack down on the disclosure of its security officers' personal data.

The laws, which also introduce new restrictions for protests, cap a year of constitutional reforms allowing Mr Putin, 68, to stand for two more six-year terms in the Kremlin instead of stepping down in 2024 as he had been legally required to do.

Other reforms such as one granting former presidents lifelong immunity from prosecution have kept analysts guessing about his plans as Moscow's ties with the West have come under new strain over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

One of Wednesday's laws enables Russia to block or restrict access to sites that "discriminate" against its media, part of a campaign under Mr Putin to increase Russia's Internet "sovereignty" that has fuelled fears of creeping China-style controls.

Twitter currently labels some Russian media "state-affiliated media", a move decried by Moscow. The law's backers cited complaints made about prejudice shown by Facebook , Twitter and YouTube.

A second law introduces hefty fines of up to 20 per cent of their previous year's Russia-based turnover for sites that repeatedly fail to remove banned content, something that YouTube and Facebook have often failed to do according to Russian lawmakers. A third law prohibits the disclosure of the personal data of Russian security officials, records that are sometimes leaked online and have been used by investigative journalists to track clandestine operations. REUTERS