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Moscow police are holding people back, demanding to see their phones to screen their photos and texts, a reporter said.
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If people refused to obey, the police would not let them pass, reporter Anya Vasileva said on Telegram.
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Russian authorities can access communications on a citizen’s personal phone without warrant.
Police in Moscow appear to be holding back citizens, demanding that they see their phones to screen their photos and text messages, a reporter based there said Sunday.
Reporter Anya Vasileva said in a Telegram post that police officers near Detskiy Mir, a popular Russian toy store in Moscow’s Lubyanka Square, stopped people and told them to show their phones, including their texts and photos. If people refused to show the police the contents of their phones, the police would not let them pass, Vasileva said on Telegram.
“I came to them and asked them on what grounds they are doing this. The police checked my press card and refused to comment,” Vasileva said. “I remind you that phones are protected by end-to-end encryption. It is illegal for the police to order you to show the contents of your phone!”
In a video posted by Vasileva, police appeared to have stopped several people and scrolled through their phones as they watched. According to the Library of Congress, Russian authorities can access communications on a citizen’s personal phone, tablet or computer without a warrant.
It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law that would punish anyone sharing “false information” about the war in Ukraine with up to 15 years in prison. The law would also punish those who support sanctions against Russia or call on Putin to end the attack in Ukraine, Russia’s media outlet Kommersant said.
Earlier this week, Russia also began blocking or restricting access to Western technology platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, cutting itself and its citizens off from the rest of the internet.
Sunday marks the 11th day of the Russian attack on Ukraine, which has sparked protests in Russian cities and around the world. Since the first attack on February 24, Russia has claimed the major city of Kherson, as well as a nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya.
Ukrainian officials and human rights groups have accused Russia of war crimes and allege Putin’s forces are bombing the civilian population.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the United States has seen “very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians” in Ukraine by Russian troops, which he believes would constitute a war crime.
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