Artyom Kozlyuk, RosKomSvoboda: 'If Yandex.News leaves, the media will get readers outflow'

'The law is harmful and regressive'

Two deputies from the State Duma advanced the law initiative: they intend to confer the same status to news aggregators as mass media. What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of that bill?

I don't think there are strengths for public communication and Internet development. The representatives of Internet organizations, as well as representatives of the Ministries – the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, have already declared against some points of the bill. They are against of conferring the same status to news aggregators as to mass media. Moreover, these norms force to check the reliability, they impose severe penalties – up to 5 million rubles.

Therefore, as representatives of Yandex company told, most aggregators just won't be able to operate due to several reasons. Yandex aggregator works in automatic mode. If the bill is adopted as it is, they will have to hire hundreds of employees to check the information. Direct analogy: as if newspapers and magazines distributors read and verify the accuracy of the information that they distribute. Of course, it won't be profitable for Yandex itself, as the news aggregator do not give a large share of income to them. They earn form other things. It is only their secondary service.

In the first place, it is profitable for news resourses themselves, including state federal ones. For example, Yandex declared that 30% readers of RIA Novosti come from Yandex.News. In other words, if Yandex.News leaves, federal media will get readers outflow.

'Yandex aggregator works in automatic mode. If the bill is adopted as it is, they will have to hire hundreds of employees to check the information.' Photo: lenta.ru

The same lawmakers are introducing regulations against the same information distributors on the state channels.

Also, the law has that news aggregators should not be more than 20% foreign participation. It is 'a ganging up' on other services. For example, Google also provides with such service.

If to talk about similar precedents, Europe also had similar regulations. They had them in the field of intellectual property rights: Google distributed information that it had no right, infringing copyright. But Google has just closed the possibility to see this information for that countries.

Most likely, the same thing will be in Russia too. Google would not go through the hassle of complying with some absurd regulations and just close to Russian users the access to the data from their service. Therefore, in any case, this bill is harmful and regressive in relation to media and the Internet in general.

'The law is absolutely on-trend'

Do the legislators themselves quarrel with bread and butter by these initiatives?

Here is a time bomb that they haven't figured out. I think there will be consultations with representatives of the Internet industry. Probably, they will be able to mitigate certain rules: to reduce the amount of the fine, to reduce some harm from the proposed law.

The law is absolutely on-trend. It was a deputy Kazakov who proposed such regressive laws. He was the initiator of the right to be forgotten. Therefore, the bill is in the spirit of the time, a pass-through. I won't surprise if adopted – perhaps, with some mitigating amendments.

'This bill is the trend of state strict regulation if Internet. Therefore, it can benefit the politicians themselves, who gain their system inner points and PR points.' Photo: roem.ru

Who will benefit?

First of all, we might think that it is a PR move before elections, in order to make noise, no matter in what context. Any PR, no matter black, white or whatever, is important for a politician.

At the same time, this bill is the trend of state strict regulation of Internet. Therefore, it can benefit the politicians themselves, who gain their system inner points and PR points. Who else can benefit, final amendments at readings will show. Now it is unclear.

'In the first place, federal resources will be allowed'

Artyom, why do the authorities want to control not only media but even news aggregators?

They think that news aggregators stimulate getting various information, including form non-state sources. I assume that there will be some subordinate legislation that, on the one hand, will facilitate aggregators, but from the other hand, introduce some white lists of news websites that are not to be verified. For example, websites of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Parlamentskaya Gazeta, federal channels. They will introduce some norm according to which these websites provide with reliable information that is not needed to be checked. Thus, a pool of such news resources will be formed that will appear in the news feed without any verification. And other websites, for example, opposition ones and bearing an alternative point of view, will be verified. In order to do this, some time and resources will be spent. News live a little. So during some time of verification, the news would already be outdated or not as popular as in the moment of its appearance.

Different assumptions might be made here. But this stage of discussion has not been reached yet, and it is early to speak about it. We will see how the Internet is attracted to participate in the discussion on further fate of the bill in the Committee.

'It can be forgotten that the resources whose traffic makes up 1,000 and 10,000 people, which is important at regional level, will be re-checked'. Photo: interfax.ru'

What can I face as a representative of the regional mass media in Kazan?

Negatively. In Yandex.News it was said that the service will be closed in these norms of the law. If extenuating amendments are made somehow, they will have to refuse automate presentation of all news sites in their aggregators. First of all, they will probably refuse regional news because, physically, they are not able to check all mass of information. Firstly, federal resources will be allowed. It is probable that there will be some oppositional, half-oppositional mass media or those that give a sober point of view: Vedomosti, RBC, Kommersant. It is possible that the largest regional online media will be preserved. It can be forgotten that the resources whose traffic makes up 1,000 and 10,000 people, which is important at regional level, will be re-checked.

So, mass media will lose some traffic and income. Am I right?

According to Yandex again, the mass media will lose about 30% of traffic. So, income will be lost respectively. It doesn't refer to Yandex.News only. They receive shares from other aggregators – Google, Rambler and others. If we are speaking about just a fraction of a percent, in general, it presupposes a big loss – traffic and money.

'Law-making is progressing'

Do you think that the pressure on freedom on the Internet is augmenting?

This process began in 2012. Tens of laws that impose limitations on Internet space have been adopted. Tens more are at project stage in the State Duma. Law-making is progressing, and there are no pauses in this work. We see such laws to appear every month or once in several months. We might remember a law on Transfer of Personal Data of Russians to the Russian Federation; it is a controversial and extremely harmful for Internet business law on the right to be forgotten. There are many less famous laws that carry regressive factors. New categories of prohibited information are adopted. Now it is forbidden to distribute any information about Internet pharmacies that distribute medicines at a distance.

It cannot be said that it is the next law. It is a permanent regime that, unfortunately, does not end.