Russian media censor Roskomnadzor blocks major cryptocurrency news sites – Bitcoin News

Bits.media, a leading news outlet in Russia’s crypto room, has been blocked by Russia’s telecom and mass media watchdog, Roskomnadzor. The site is now inaccessible through most Russian ISPs, the online edition announced, stating that it intends to challenge the measure.

Roskomnadzor denies Russians access to Bits.media

The crypto news site Bits.media became unavailable to most readers in Russia this week, and the team found that Russian media censor Roskomnadzor was to blame. The government agency has added an unspecified number of its pages to a register of Internet sources that disseminate prohibited information.

The blockade is the result of a ruling by the Volzhsky District Court in the city of Saratov in a lawsuit initiated by the local prosecutor’s office on March 31. The judge granted the prosecution’s request on April 24 after assessing the case in the absence of the media outlet’s owners, Bits.media explained in a post.

According to the published decision, five URLs were targeted as they contained “information aimed at promoting crimes within the legalization (money laundering) of proceeds of crime.” It is still unclear whether only Bits.media addresses were affected, and the formal reason for the measure is unknown. The platform’s founder, Ivan Tikhonov, was quoted as saying:

We are interested in the case, but no one notified us of the proceedings. We were not given the opportunity to remove the material that the prosecution in Saratov had questions about. We strongly disagree with the verdict.

Bits.media plans to appeal the court’s decision as it has already won a similar case before. In January 2015, Russian internet regulators blocked the website, citing a decision by the Nevyansk city court in the Sverdov region. The local prosecutor motivated his prayer with the need to “protect an indefinite circle of people.” Seven sites were restricted, but the ruling was overturned later that year.

Then, in March 2020, Roskomnadzor blacklisted five websites offering information and services related to cryptocurrencies. The forum section of Bits.media was also targeted. Just as with the site now, it was still available in Russia via VPNs and browser plugins.

Other operators of Russian crypto platforms have also successfully challenged such decisions. In March 2018, the city court of Saint Petersburg imposed a ban on 40 websites that publish crypto content. The following month, Russia’s Supreme Court overturned a ruling restricting access to the Bitcoininfo.ru portal. In May 2019, Roskomnadzor had to remove Bestchange.ru from its register after the prosecution gave up the attempt to block the website.

Do you expect Roskomnadzor and the Russian judiciary to take similar steps regarding other cryptocurrency news outlets? Tell us in the comments section below.

Lubomir Tassev

Lubomir Tassev is a technology expert from Eastern Europe who likes Hitchens’ quote: “Being a writer is what I am, rather than what I do.” In addition to crypto, blockchain and fintech, international politics and economics are two other sources of inspiration.