As German internet magazine Telepolis reports, Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the creation of a new mega-authority: It will bundle up the surveillance of traditional media (radio, television, newspapers) with control of telecommunication and the internet. As Russian newspaper Kommersant mentions, the new ministry also owns personal data of every Russian citizen. The paper calls the new authority a „Media mega-controller“.
Russian news agency RIA novosti, which is close to the government, reports the new ministry was built to enable Russian people to participate in the Russian heritage as well as to improve the development of the new media. In fact, it could be used to combine personal data with internet surveillance, introducing censorship to internet communication – as Telepolis suggest, this could even concern Russians living in exile.
Thanks for the hint goes out to René Denzer.