Approaches to Legal Regulation of the Blogosphere in Russian Legislation

Abstract

Currently, blogs are a very common and convenient form of Internet communication from the point of view of information dissemination. Through blogs, socially significant issues can be discussed and various needs of public life can be realized. At the same time, the threats of using blogs for illegal purposes have also increased significantly, for example, to spread fake information, to involve Internet users in committing illegal acts. In this regard, the attempts of the Russian legislator to regulate the blogosphere indicate the close attention of the state to the functioning of blogs, the rules for posting information and the activities of key actors on such Internet resources. Currently, there is no effective mechanism of legal regulation in the blogosphere, despite the fact that recently the legislator has adopted a number of regulatory legal acts aimed at regulating public relations in the digital environment. The analysis of the legislation of the Russian Federation shows that the key issues of the use of the blogosphere (from the conceptual apparatus to the delimitation of areas of responsibility) are not properly regulated. In this regard, the issues of defining the key categories of the topic under consideration (blogosphere, blog, blogger, etc.) and the regulation of relevant public relations in Russian legislation require careful consideration by representatives of state authorities, experts of the Internet industry, human rights defenders. It seems that an optimal balance of interests between society and the state can be achieved through the development and adoption of a strategy of legal regulation in the blogosphere.