Russian porn ban critics urged to 'meet someone in real life'

  • Published
computer with man's finger on keyboardImage source, PA
Image caption,
Computer says 'Nyet' for Russian fans of the two pornography sites

A decision to block internet users in Russia from accessing two of the world's most popular porn sites has inevitably made some people very unhappy.

But the spirited way in which the Russian media regulator, Roskomnadzor has responded to criticism of its decision to ban the sites, has demonstrated that it is no ordinary government agency.

The ban announced on Tuesday follows two separate judicial rulings - a court in Voronezh banned one site and a court in Vladivostok banned the second- which, perhaps not surprisingly, concluded that the websites "spread pornography".

When frustrated free porn fans took to social media to attack the move, Roskomnadzor responded by retweeting one of its own tweets from last year: "Dear Lyolya, as an alternative you could try and meet someone in real life." With the retweet it added the line "Dear lovers of the internet, this piece of advice still stands."

Image source, Twitter/roscomnadzor
Image caption,
Roskomnadzor retweeted its own advice

The latest ban has inspired much online humour online. Nadya Tolokonnikova, the lead singer from the band Pussy Riot, who said that blocking the site "is a blow below the belt."

But another social media user called Tolokinnikova patriotically tweeted that by blocking the sites, "the government is supporting the domestic producer."

Reporting by BBC Monitoring

Image source, Weibo

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