Russia plans to create ‘cyber squads’
Russia considers creating “cyber squads” that should help law enforcement officials to search for extremist materials on the Internet, reported the website Roskomsvoboda.
The authors of the relevant draft law are deputies of the Russian State Duma from the party United Russia. According to their idea, "cyber squads" should be volunteer social organizations which would be created by Russians and would be staffed with only Russian citizens who have reached the age of 18.
The project’s goal is “to engage the society”, said United Russia party member Oleg Bykov in an interview with RIA Novosti. "It is an amendment to the legal status-quo,” he added. The document obliges public authorities, local government, and the Prosecutor’s Office to cooperate with the cyber squads.
The draft law will be considered at United Russia’s coordination council. If supported, it will be sent for approval by the Russian State Duma after the feedback of relevant agencies.
In September, Roskomsvoboda announced that the authorities of the Perm region, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB are looking for experts to help analyze social media posts of “extremist and terrorist nature". According to the tender documents, authorities are ready to spend two million rubles from the local budget to pay for such services.
In October, the authorities of the Sakhalin region announced a tender to help analyze activities of the local social media groups.