Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ Simply using a 💩 emoji on the state-mandated Russian messenger app MAX is enough to result in a user being convicted and fined, or potentially even imprisoned. A recent court case highlights how the app is blatantly being used as an instrument of repression. ⬇️

2/ The District Court of Rostov-on-Don has imposed a fine of 30,000 rubles ($387) on a man named Sergey Nikolaevich Korovayny. As the court's decision states:

3/ "On DD. MM. YYYY, S. N. Korovayny, registered and residing at: <address> -on- FULL NAME2 , <address> , a member of the common chat of the above-mentioned apartment building,…

4/ …posted a mark (smiley face) in the form of feces under a video posted in the common [public] chat on DD. MM. YYYY , which depicts a military vehicle of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation firing a salvo of ammunition."

5/ This was enough for Korovayny to be convicted for "discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for the purpose of protecting the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens, maintaining international peace and security."

6/ Warblogger Alex Kartavykh is one of several Russian commentators to express alarm and disgust at the conviction:

"Be careful, because on MAX, they can see right through you, which means they can easily pin discrediting, incitement, and other victimless crimes on you."

7/ "Personally, I won’t write anything to anyone there at all, just like on VK. THAT is exactly why. Because even if that sicko Korovayny S.N. doesn’t write anything there, it’s like a pat on the butt compared to even my comments.

8/ "However, on MAX, they’d already be getting their asses kicked for that, and my commenters won’t face any consequences as long as they don’t write anything that actually constitutes a serious offence.

9/ "Although the likelihood that my moderators will ban and delete them is exponentially higher.

If I were in the MAX lobbyists’ shoes, I’d already be running to whoever cooked this up and beating the shit out of everyone there.

10/ "Because this is the most serious discrediting of MAX that’s even possible. The fact that there’s supposedly spyware there—that’s kind of okay. Our special services are protecting us, all that stuff—we can live with that.

11/ "But how can you live and communicate if, at any random moment, you’re in a private chat (not even a channel, but a closed chat room) and you can call someone a faggot and get kicked out for LGBT propaganda. Or call someone a chump and get kicked out for incitement.

12/ "Or post a poop emoji on a vehicle and get a “discred” penalty. This is starting to feel more like a game of “Minesweeper” rather than a chat app."

13/ Alexey Zhivov is equally disgruntled, calling the decision "so absurd that I mistook it for Panorama news" [a popular Russian satirical news website, often described as Russia's equivalent to The Onion].

14/ "I don't see the point in commenting on this; it's all pretty self-explanatory. Just keep in mind that using reactions in this messenger is dangerous, even if you're in a closed or private conversation.

15/ "Anyone who blogs on MAX would be wise to disable reactions like "poop" or "clown" to avoid getting their subscribers jailed. It's best to turn off comments altogether." /end

Sources:
🔹 t.me/AlexCarrier/15…
🔹 t.me/zhivoff/26018
🔹 sovetsky--ros.sudrf.ru/modules.php?na…