Moscow:Internet regulation no threat to freedom

Content regulation on the Internet for antiterrorism purposes has nothing to do with an attempt to "curb freedom of expression," a Russian Foreign Ministry official said on Friday. "We do not agree with some of our partners that such regulation is an attempt to stifle the media or to muzzle it," department chief Ilya Rogachyov said. Internet regulation is aimed at preventing the dissemination of terrorist ideology, he added. Freedom of expression is not absolute, he continued, citing the global ban on child pornography. Russia is campaigning for an international UN-sponsored document on cybercrime, the official said. "There is a convention on transnational organized crime and a UN convention against corruption. We want another," he said.