Russia has been restricting social media websites and trying to limit the use of the internet for a long time now. The ban on the use of internet is crippling and is to be condemned as an act of defying the basic rights of freedom to information and privacy to a certain level. President Putin has already been in the news since the imprisonment of Pussy Riot, the Sochi Olympics and the human rights debacle associated with them, and now he is now targeting another rainbow-emblazoned community – Google.

Calling Google the secret project of the American CIA, Putin says, “That’s life. That’s how it’s organised by Americans. You know all of this started during the dawn of the internet as a special project of the CIA.” Putin’s bizarre claims come in the light of questions made by a pro-Kremlin blogger. Reiterating his fears of America’s involvement in Russian political affairs, Putin stated that anything that is searched for on Google is passed through servers in America. Suggesting that Russia’s Yandex, the country’s own search engine, will be tightly controlled, Putin explained he is afraid of foreign involvement in the internet. Explaining the reasons behind his comment, Putin said that Yandex is partly registered overseas not just for tax reasons but to be owned by vested foreign interests. He also claimed the site was pressured into having American and European investors right from the start because it is all a part of a CIA conspiracy.

“We must fight determinedly for our own interests. This process is happening. And we will support it from the government side, of course,” he said. Russia recently passed a law allowing the government to block websites without a court order. This is after reports that Russia isn’t allowed Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Gmail and any other such Western sites.

Yandex refutes Putin’s claims, stating the reason it is based outside Russia is not to dodge taxes but to evade Russia’s strict corporate law. Foreign investments are an intrinsic feature of any start-up and since taxes are being paid, their loyalty lies with Russia. After Putin’s comments, Yandex’s shares fell down by 4.3 per cent on the NASDAQ.

Russia needs to change its policies in the near future or this strict internet policing might be the beginning of a fight for both political and personal freedom.