Some 10,000 people were rallying in Moscow on Monday to protest against recent restrictions on internet freedom in Russia. Russian authorities this month began blocking popular messaging app Telegram over its refusal to hand over keys to its data encryption. Protesters flocked to a central street on Monday, which is a public holiday in Russia, to rally against the communications regulators actions. Although the slogans focused on the attempts to block Telegram, many of the speakers from the stage blamed President Vladimir Putin for encouraging the restrictions on internet freedom. Over the past few years Russia has adopted a flurry of legislation aimed at curtailing internet freedom and limiting data privacy.

Source: ABC News April 30, 2018 11:45 UTC