Russian Federal Law No. 27-FZ (2019): Governing Deepfakes and Their Effects

1. Introduction

Russia’s Federal Law No. 27-FZ, effective from March 18, 2019, added administrative sanctions for the online dissemination of “unreliable information” to the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offences, but does not mention deepfakes in particular. The law focuses on any information—at least information produced by artificial intelligence—presented in a false form and endangering public safety or order. 

2. Scope of the Law

The legislation aims to disseminate information that Russian officials think is knowingly false, including deepfakes and other manipulated content. Production as well as sharing online are addressed. Deepfakes are not explicitly mentioned in the legislation, but “unreliable information” is defined broadly enough to include any form of media that manipulates the facts and threatens the safety or order of the public.

3. Key Provisions

Article 13.15 of this act assigns administrative duty for spreading false information. 

4. Enforcement and Fines

Both organizations and individuals are severely penalized for breaking the law. Enforcement: If the online news site publishes this kind of material, it can expect extrajudicial access limits from Roskomnadzor (Russia’s content censor). Individuals face fines of up to 400,000 rubles (around $6,000). Legal persons are fined up to 1.5 million rubles, or 23,000 rubles. 

5. Precedent Cases

The first case under the legislation was directed against the magazine “Moment Istiny,” which had been sanctioned for spreading information that was deemed unreliable. This established a precedent for using the law against media outlets.

6. Comparison to Global Standards

Russia adopts a more general attitude with a view to the dissemination of misinformation on all media, while other jurisdictions place strange emphasis on deepfakes through legislation. While this renders the application more versatile, it might perhaps also leave freedom of expression and censorship concerns.

7. Practical Implications

Media outlets and content providers need to be cautious while publishing information that can be perceived as correct or misleading. If the content is discovered to be in contravention of this act, deepfake producers would be primarily prosecuted. Strong content moderation measures should be adopted by sites to detect and address any such offenses in advance.

8. Future Outlook

Further specialized legislation specifically aimed at addressing the special issues caused by deepfake technology might be required as technology continues to develop. Russia’s existing legal code could be revised to reflect emerging technology and how far they are being abused. Further amendments could be submitted to address the special challenges provided by deepfakes, depending on ongoing debate and expansion of the legal community.