Maxim Ali has commented on a bill to unblock Telegram

A bill has been submitted to the State Duma, which proposes to block certain information resources in an emergency situation and on the distribution of information to state authorities and officials. Additionally the draft law will unblock some previously prohibited apps, including Telegram. Many Russian government agencies, including the Ministry of Communications, and the Coronavirus Operational Headquarters in Moscow, use Telegram officially as one of its main information resources on the internet. Through this app, government agencies are informing citizens about the spread of COVID-19.

The Head of the IP/IT Practice at Maxima Legal, Maxim Ali, stated that the bill is actually being prepared for a specific subject, and it should not be. “It is pleasing that this bill interrupts a long series of amendments containing new prohibitions,” Maxim said.

Maxim believes that even if we proceed from the best intentions of the State Duma (for example, from a desire to correct past mistakes or the mistakes of other branches of government), the use of permanent amendments in legislation shows the inability of the legislator to propose systemic regulation. “This is not surprising, given that the legislator is already confused about the terms it created. Instead of “information dissemination organizer”, the bill erroneously refers to an “information dissemination operator”. Such a careless attitude to the text of the bill is alarming” concluded Maxim.

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