After being sold to Russian-owned SUP media in 2007, LiveJournal — which hosts popular blogs by famous writers like George RR Martin — has finally moved its servers from California and Russia in December.
Last week, LiveJournal updated its user agreement in order to be in full compliance with Russia’s strict internet laws and regulations. The new user agreement features two major changes: The website’s data can now be accessed by Russian authorities and the site now forbids “political solicitation materials” unless first cleared by LiveJournal.
The user agreement also includes the vague clause that bans “perform[ing] any other actions contradictory to the laws of the Russian Federation.”
While users in the United States aren’t bound by Russian laws, the user agreement means LiveJournal can suspend or ban users who break any rules.
Russia is known for its strict internet censorship laws. In March of this year, the Russian government censored five websites, including a LiveJournal posting, for hosting “illegal information about an unauthorized mass event.”