Russian Anti-Piracy Targets Freedom of Speech

reporter writes: "According to a report just issued by "The Washington Post", the Kremlin has finally begun to crackdown on software piracy, but in a devious twist, the Kremlin is targetting political enemies: independent news media, political parties, and private advocacy groups. In particular, "the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, one of the last outposts of critical journalism in Russia, suspended publication of its regional edition in the southern city of Samara on Monday after prosecutors opened a criminal case against its editor, alleging that his publication used unlicensed software." If Western governments were to accuse the Kremlin of, yet again, silencing dissent, then the Kremlin would just retort that it is initiating anti-piracy efforts, which the same Western governments have long demanded. Machiavelli would be proud."