Russian operators struggle with new child protection requirements

Russian service providers have held meetings with the country’s communications regulator over plans to impose child-protection warning requirements that could theoretically infringe copyright of channels on their platforms, according to local reports.

New rules on the protection of children, set to become law at the end of this month, would require age-restriction information to be displayed on all TV programmes as well as print and online media.

The regulator, the Roskomnadzor, has warned ISPs and satellite operators, as licensed broadcasters, that they will be responsible for ensuring that the law is upheld. Service providers maintain that they cannot be held responsible for graphics displayed on third-party channels however, both on grounds of cost and because they do not have the legal right to overlay graphics on programmes supplied by others.