Roskomnadzor sets aside 58 million rubles for system to find banned content

The Main Radio Frequency Center, under the supervision of Roskomnadzor, has allocated 57.7 million rubles ($956,000) for the creation of a system known as “Oculus” to search for banned content. With the help of neural networks, the system will analyze texts, photos, and videos on websites, social media, and messengers. According to Roskomnadzor, it will be able to analyze 200,000 images a day, and is planned to be finished in four months, by December 12, 2022.

Roskomnadzor’s list of banned content includes: signs of extremism and terrorism, calls for illegal public gatherings, disrespect for the authorities, information on suicide methods, information on drug manufacturing, “gay propaganda,” and demonstrations of tobacco use.

An unnamed source familiar with the content of the project told Kommersant that they believe it would be impossible to create such a system in that short a time for 58 million rubles.