Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Security Council at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia October 26, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that law enforcement agencies must take tough action against persons and groups using the Internet for extremist ends.

“The security of Russia’s Internet must be heightened, we must fight against those using the information space to spread extremist ideas,” Putin told a meeting of Russia’s Security Council.

“At the same time, I would like to stress that there can be no talk about restricting access of law-abiding citizens to the worldwide web, about any pervasive barriers and filters,” he said.