Russia’s State Duma trying to prevent journalistic investigations

The lower house of the russian parliament approved in the first reading “a package of bills that strengthen responsibility for the leak of personal data of russians.”

The Krym.Realii site (a Radio Liberty project) reported on the innovation with reference to the russian parliamentarian Alexandr Khinshtein.

According to him, the bill will increase fines for operators of personal data for leaks, as well as introduce criminal liability for “illegal use” of such information.

In turn, the human rights project Pershyi Viddil [First Department] explains that the document directly prohibits working with databases “often used by investigative journalists.” According to human rights defenders, the bill was brought to the parliament by “lobbyists of the power structures.”

“If this bill is finally adopted, it will affect anyone working with computer information containing personal data… These are various databases that are now easily accessible. This punitive move can be used, including against investigators and journalists. If the investigator forwards information from russia to another country in the course of his activities, the punishment may be eight years in prison,” lawyer Yevhen Smirnov said.

However, officials stand their ground. “The bill on establishing criminal liability for illegal use and transfer, collection, and storage of personal data is aimed at combating the avalanche-like increase in crimes where this information is used. The maximum sanction in the form of imprisonment for a term of up to 10 years with a fine of up to RUB 3 million is provided for actions committed by an organized group,” Khinshtein‘s message reads.

The MP added that “criminal legislation will not consider cases where personal data is used legitimately for personal or family purposes.” In addition, Khinshtein claims that the adoption of these bills “is waiting for both society and the industry.”

A package of bills providing for the introduction of criminal liability for the use of leaked personal databases, as well as increasing the punishment for the fact of the leak itself, was submitted to the state duma of the russian federation in December 2023. Their authors were members of the United russia party – senators Andrey Turchak, Andrey Klishas, Iryna Rukavishnikova, Konstantin Dolgov, and Artyom Sheykin, as well as deputies Alexandr Khinshtein, Irina Pankina, Dmitry Vyatkin, and Anton Nemkin.

NUJU Information Service