The Ministry of Press and Information of Dagestan has instructed its state media employees to provide information about their social networks accounts, reported newspaper Kommersant on Thursday, citing a corresponding order signed by local print minister Burliat Tokbolatova.
This collection of data is being carried out “in order to ... monitor social networks [that are subordinate] to the ministry.”
The order has affected the employees of television station RGVK Dagestan, news agency RIA Dagestan, 16 newspapers, six magazines, radio stations Strana Gor, three publishing houses, and the enterprise Dagpechat.
An employee of one of a Dagestani media outlet said: “Our team reacted to this with humor. We are well aware that no one is going to sit down and check our accounts. Reactions follow only when a journalist’s post goes [viral]. There have been such cases,” he said in an interview with Kommersant.
In June 2016, the Russian State Duma adopted amendments requiring state and municipal employees are required to inform the administration of any social networking accounts that they have.