Russian Lawmaker Calls for “Clean Internet” Law, Requires ID to Use Social Media in Russia

A senior Russian lawmaker has called for a sweeping new internet policy that would effectively require all users of social media and online platforms to log in using their real passports, eliminating anonymous accounts and content, The Moscow Times reported on January 23.

Andrey Svintsov, deputy chair of the State Duma’s Committee on Information Policy and a member of the LDPR party, said that the move would “completely clean the whole internet of anonymous content and anonymous accounts, from the use of bots, bot farms, mass posting, production of mass content using neural networks, and so on,” according to an interview with TASS.

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Svintsov argued that enforcing identification by passport would be straightforward through a new federal law on a “honest, clean, and legal internet” that platforms would be required to implement.

“Behind every post, behind every author, there must be a living, real person who can be uniquely identified so that there are no manipulations, no bullying, no fraud, no crimes, no extortion,” he told the state news agency.

The proposal is part of broader efforts by some Russian officials to tighten control over the internet and online speech. Under the plan, major platforms would be obliged to verify users’ identities with official documents, effectively ending anonymous or pseudonymous participation on social media and other services.

Previously, it was reported that Russia recorded the world’s highest level of internet censorship and shutdowns in 2025, with disruptions totaling 37,166 hours and affecting about 146 million people.

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