Vladimir Putin promulgated a controversial law, criticized even by the focused supporters of censorship

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday promulgated a controversial law that incriminates access or search for online content labeled as an “extremist”, a text that has aroused concern even among the Kremlin supporters and that more increases repression in Russia, AFP and The Moscow Times write.

The legislation, criticized by both the Kremlin loyalists and the opposition figures, introduces fines of up to 5,000 rubles (about $ 64) for people who “consciously” read or seek forbidden materials.

The law does not specify how such activities will be monitored, which raises concerns among legal experts regarding the extension of supervision and potential abuses from law enforcement. The law comes into effect on September 1.

Ekaterina Mizulina, head of the league for a safe internet (Kremlin aligned organization), and a prominent supporter of online censorship, has expressed concern about the bill earlier this month. She warned that it could obstruct the activity of the league, in the context in which about 30% of the organization's efforts involve identifying the extremist content and transmitting it to the authorities.

Mizulina said that the legislation could even expose the police to legal risks for watching the content in their duties.

Amnesty International, a non -governmental organization based in London, also condemned the draft law as “vague and excessive general”, warning that it allows the arbitrary application of the law.

Also on Thursday, Putin promulgated another draft law that prohibits the advertising for VPN services, which have spread to Russia over the past three years, against the backdrop of the authorities of an increasing number of sites, including Instagram, other social networks and independent news publications.