{"id":7725,"date":"2019-02-20T16:00:14","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T16:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/russia-bans-smartphones-for-soldiers-over-social-media-fears\/"},"modified":"2019-02-20T16:00:14","modified_gmt":"2019-02-20T16:00:14","slug":"russia-bans-smartphones-for-soldiers-over-social-media-fears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/russia-bans-smartphones-for-soldiers-over-social-media-fears\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia bans smartphones for soldiers over social media fears"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Tass\/Getty<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n Taking videos and pictures, like selfies, will be banned for active servicemen
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Russia’s parliament has voted to ban soldiers from using smartphones while on duty, after their social media use raised issues of national security.<\/p>\n

The bill forbids military personnel from using a phone with the ability to take pictures, record videos and access the internet. <\/p>\n

Soldiers also cannot write about the military or talk to journalists.<\/p>\n

More than 400 of 450 lawmakers in Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, backed the law on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Phones with basic calling and messaging facilities could still be used, but tablets and laptops would also subject to the new ban.<\/p>\n

Soldiers’ social media data has allowed open-source journalism sites like Bellingcat to expose secret military activity by Russian forces, sometimes in real time.<\/p>\n

The bill must now be considered by the upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, before being signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n

Why is there a ban?<\/h2>\n

Russian officials said the move was necessary to protect military information from foreign intelligence services.<\/p>\n

In recent years, social media posts by servicemen have revealed Russia’s military presence in eastern Ukraine and Syria, sometimes contradicting the government’s official claim of not having troops there.<\/p>\n