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Putin signs updated policy to thwart cyberattacks, foreign influence

By Allen Cone
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new doctrine published Tuesday on "official views on ensuring national security of the Russian Federation in the information sphere." Photo by Alexei Druzhinin/European Pressphoto Agency/Sputnik/Kremlin pool
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new doctrine published Tuesday on "official views on ensuring national security of the Russian Federation in the information sphere." Photo by Alexei Druzhinin/European Pressphoto Agency/Sputnik/Kremlin pool

MOSCOW, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin approved an updated security doctrine in a bid to prevent cyberattacks and foreign influence.

"The doctrine represents a system of official views on ensuring national security of the Russian Federation in the information sphere," the document reads.

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No specific online strikes against Russia were mentioned.

The document, which updates the country's last policy from 2000, comes as U.S. officials are considering retaliating against Russia because of alleged government-orchestrated hacking before the presidential election, including emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee.

Putin signed the document Monday and it was published Tuesday.

Information can "influence information infrastructure" to pursue geopolitical and military goals by organized crime, extremists and terrorists, the doctrine said.

The doctrine also instructs government agencies to counter "extremist ideologies, xenophobia and ethnic exceptionalism."

"The strategic goals of ensuring information security in the sphere of state and public security are the protection of sovereignty, supporting political and social stability, territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, ensuring major rights and liberties of man and the citizen and also protection of critical information infrastructure," the document reads.

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The doctrine notes the growth in foreign mass media of biased assessment of Russia's state policy. And Russia's mass media outlets are allegedly discriminated abroad and Russian journalists face obstacles, the document said.

The information is aimed to "erode the spiritual and moral values inherent in the Russian people," especially young people, according to the document.

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