European Parliament Considers Blocking Russian Media on Its IT Networks
The European Parliament is considering restricting access to Russian media on its IT infrastructure, as a significant step in combating disinformation and protecting the institution's information security.
The Gaze reports on this, referring to Politico.
The initiative came from Latvian Member of Parliament Rihards Kols, who proposed blocking access to RT, Sputnik, VGTRK, ANO TV Novosti, and other Russian resources on all Parliament devices and networks.
Despite the fact that the European Union imposed sanctions on Russian media in 2022 after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, dozens of websites hosting content from these broadcasters are still accessible on the parliament's internal IT network.
This was the reason for Kols' initiative, who stressed that it was a matter of “information security, institutional coherence, and the credibility of the Parliament’s position against Russian disinformation.”
During a meeting of political group leaders on October 15, representatives of right-wing conservatives and reformists called for Russian propaganda websites subject to EU sanctions to be blocked from the institutional IT network.
If the initiative is approved, it will replicate restrictions already applied to TikTok in 2023 due to network security concerns.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is currently exploring the possibility of such a block and studying what similar measures are in place in other European institutions. According to Kols, a decision on this initiative is expected in the near future, and discussions will continue at the next meeting of parliamentary leaders.
As The Gaze informed earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has repelled more than 2,300 Russian cyberattacks this year.