Roskomnadzor launches an automated system to detect illegal content in online media

Source: rkn.gov.ru



Roskomnadzor plans to launch an automated content analysis system in online media.



Today, the activities of editorial boards and journalists are regulated by the law “On the Mass Media”, where Article 4 contains a list of information prohibited for publication. The media should not allow materials containing “public calls for terrorist activities or publicly justifying terrorism, other extremist materials, as well as materials promoting pornography, the cult of violence and cruelty, and materials containing foul language,” said Alexander Zharov.

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Roskomnadzor has already begun testing the system for monitoring and detecting illegal content. With the help of the new system, Roskomnadzor is looking for illegal content on news sites, its analytical core is located in the Main Radio Frequency Center. So far, the system is only being tested and receiving information only from 19 regions, but by the end of 2016 the project will be completed and it will work throughout the country.



“The number of violations found has increased at least twice. We try not to punish, because this system is new. We call for eliminating violations, and I think this will lead to an improvement in the quality of all media throughout the Russian Federation, ”said Zharov.



Software and hardware Roskomnadzor analyzes the text component of the sites. If there are multimedia files there, it analyzes their description. If, when analyzing the system, there appears a “suspicion” of prohibited information, then the data will be forwarded to the analyst of the supervisory authority for a “manual” check.



The project, in addition to controlling the media, also analyzes comments and forums.



In accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court, if we reveal comments [with prohibited information], we inform the media and they must be removed within 24 hours. And everything is deleted, notes Zharov.



We came to the conclusion that in the current situation with budget financing we cannot aim at the Internet. We analyze online media. We do not touch the rest of the space [of the Internet], Zharov told Izvestia.



Earlier, Roskomnadzor planned to start monitoring extremist materials all over the Internet. But it was decided to abandon this idea.



We welcome that Roskomnadzor will better fulfill its federal functions using new technologies. What's bad about it? Other departments also need to carry out their powers efficiently. If we talk about freedom of speech in its pure form, then in our country much is allowed to speak - for example, compared to the United States. We have more opposition publications. Honest people have nothing to fear. And comments and forums have long been time to monitor: there is a lot of dirt and all kinds of lewdness. All this is anonymous and does not comply with the law, argues Alexey Kazakov, a member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy.



According to the law, Roskomnadzor issues a warning to one or another media in case it finds in its materials prohibited information. The second warning for the year may be the reason for revoking the license from the media.