Russia briefly banned online handmade crafts and unique goods marketplace Etsy for knockoff designer products sold by some of its vendors, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday.
State internet watchdog Roskomnadzor reportedly blocked the website in order to enforce a 2019 court order in Tambov some 500 kilometers south of Moscow against an Etsy vendor selling fake clothing and accessories from brands like Gucci.
Kommersant reported that Roskomnadzor added Etsy to its official register of banned sites on Dec. 1, requiring internet providers to block access to the entire site in Russia.
But access to the website was restored by Friday afternoon after Etsy removed the knockoff page, which also sold imitations of brands like Christian Dior and Chanel.
Roskomnadzor had taken the drastic step because Etsy’s secure protocol kept it from blocking the vendors’ specific pages, Kommersant said.
Etsy and the knockoff vendor have three months to appeal the ban in court, according to Kommersant.
Experts said the Etsy ban sets a dangerous precedent for Russia’s e-commerce industry.
“Websites use modern encryption methods to protect buyers’ personal data and money,” Artem Sokolov, CEO of the Association of Internet Commerce Companies (AKIT), was quoted as saying.
Sokolov lamented the risk of entire websites being blocked “due to the lack of the technical ability to block one page in a disputable situation.”
If Russian authorities also expand the practice of extrajudicially blocking “certain product categories,” he added, “e-commerce in our country will shut down.”
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
