The Russian government is on a website-blocking streak. Following a recent threat to block YouTube for some of the content uploaded there, Reddit – the entertainment social network – might be next to get kicked to the curb.
It’s not just empty threats, as torrent-sharing website Pirate Bay has experienced. After blocking it on its territory, the Russian government has moved onto Reddit, allegedly concerned about a thread found on the website that explained how to grow your own cannabis.
According to an official post that Roskomnadzor, Russia’s internet watchdog, has uploaded on the country’s approved social network, Reddit has been asked to delete the ‘offending thread,’ and is currently awaiting a reply before moving on to more drastic measures.
While the post did not offer specific details about which thread the government wants removed, Roskomnadzor urged the Reddit staff to check their emails and reply to the correspondence coming from the agency. It said that the website’s administrators should consider replying in due time, unless they want their platform blocked by several operators.
As if the post wasn’t official enough, the agency has also designed and released a “Wanted” poster, which is expected to aid in their attempts of resolving the issue. No website seems to be in the clear when it comes to the Russian watchdog.
There are several eclectic websites, for example, that have been blocked, starting from Wikipedia to a Jehovah’s Witnesses site. To no one’s surprise, Garry Kasparov’s website – the chess champion and a very vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin – has also been blacklisted for a while now.
A problem might arise, however, as the Russian request of removing the thread about cannabis does not fall in line with the updated version of Reddit’s policy. Its user agreement specifies that, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the website has the right to remove user content on grounds of infringement.
But! “Discussing illegal activities, such as drug use” is not banned from the site. So you might want to get ready to say buh-bye to Reddit, dear Russians!
Image Source: Mashable