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There’s a certain irony in watching a country famous for its secrets start talking about taking anonymity away.
Two Russian lawmakers are pushing for a new system that would force citizens to prove who they are before viewing adult content online. Yevgeny Masharov, a member of the Civic Chamber’s Commission for Public Review of Bills, says adult material “distorts behavior patterns” in young people — and that the only fix is to make everyone show ID before clicking “enter.” Passports, driver’s licenses, even bank data — all fair game, apparently — to prove you’re not a minor.
It’s a bold vision, if not a little unsettling. Because once a government starts asking for your personal documents just to browse the internet, where does that end?
Andrei Svintsov, another official from the State Duma’s Committee on Information Policy, predicts that online anonymity in Russia won’t last more than five years anyway. In his words, “Every internet user will register with some specialized identifier.” Translation: everyone’s digital life, tied neatly to their real identity. No masks, no aliases, no shadows left to hide in.
A third voice, Deputy Anton Nemkin, doesn’t completely disagree but sounds more cautious — maybe even uneasy. He admits that protecting minors and creating a “safer digital environment” are important goals, but warns that the cure shouldn’t create new diseases. Leaking personal data, strangling online businesses, or making life miserable for ordinary users could easily be part of the fallout if this rushes ahead without strong safeguards.
He’s right to worry. Systems like these rarely arrive fully secure or transparent. And once a government has a database connecting citizens to what they watch online, the line between protection and surveillance gets awfully thin.
The idea might start as a shield for children. But if history’s any guide, shields have a way of turning into nets.
