As Russian President Vladimir Putin attempts to convince his country to rally in the face of economic sanctions and a full-fledged economic crisis, he's also hoping he can prevent them from accessing social media sites supporting his most outspoken critic.
Russian Internet regulators recently demanded that Facebook block access to a page calling for a mass protest, saying it is an "unauthorized mass event." A spokesman for the Russian regulator Roskomnadzor confirmed on Monday that Facebook has agreed to block the page, Bloomberg reported.
The Facebook page of concern is one promoting a Jan. 15 protest backing opposition leader Alexey Navalny, the most prominent critic of Putin, who is facing up to a 10-year prison sentence for allegedly stealing nearly $500,000 from two companies.
Navalny, a lawyer and anti-corruption activist, led the biggest street protests of Putin's 15-year-rule in 2011 and 2012, and has been under house arrest since February, banned from using the Internet or phone, according to Bloomberg.
While the court verdict is set to be delivered on Jan. 15, critics claim the charges are purely politically motivated and Navalny himself says the trial is staged. He has asked his supporters to attend a rally the same day.
"Navalny is dangerous for Putin as he's a popular figure, and now that the economy is in crisis, people who felt quite secure a few months ago today are desperate," said Alexei Makarkin, deputy head of the Moscow-based Center for Political Technologies, Bloomberg reported.
At the Russian government's request, Facebook said it blocked 29 pieces of content within Russia in the first half of 2014, and Twitter has also blocked content following government requests, according to The Washington Post.
Earlier this year, Putin signed a new law that tightens his control over the Internet by requiring Internet companies to store Russian user information on data centers inside the country. If companies don't build data centers inside Russia, they could be blocked, reported The Wall Street Journal.
