Putin calls the internet a 'CIA project'

Putin calls the internet a &#039;CIA project&#039;

(Image credit: Pool/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

Not even the internet is safe from Russian President Vladimir Putin's skepticism. At a media forum Thursday in St. Petersburg, Putin commented that the World Wide Web was created as a "CIA project" and "is still developing as such," according to the Associated Press.

The comments come as the Kremlin is fighting to gain greater control of the internet, one of the only platforms for opposition activists who are forbidden from speaking out on national television. Putin added that Russia needs to "fight for its interests" online. This week, the country passed a law requiring social media websites to keep their servers in the country and store their users' information for at least half a year.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.

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