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Russia's president-elect pledges liberal Internet policy

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MOSCOW, April 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russian president-elect Dmitry Medvedev pledged on Thursday a liberal state policy concerning the Internet, but stressed the need to respect national laws in using the Web.

The state "should take a loyal position given the [Russian domain's] brisk development," but "the law must be observed everywhere, including on the Internet," Medvedev told a forum in Moscow.

His statement echoed outgoing President Vladimir Putin's comments late last year that censorship would not be introduced for Russian Internet content, but that the government should enforce laws to prevent the distribution of child pornography, extremist organizations' propaganda, and financial crimes.

With most television channels under state control, and newspapers and radio stations under tight screws, the Internet has remained the last stronghold of free speech in Russia.

"The correlation between free speech and responsibility on the Internet is a delicate issue," said Medvedev, who will take office after being sworn in on May 7.

Medvedev said the number of Russian domain users has hit 40 million, and more than 30% of the country's population would soon have access to the Web. He also said online trade exceeded 50 billion rubles (over $2 billion) last year, while the advertizing segment hit 11 billion rubles (about $470,000).

He noted that the Internet has been removed from the list of key sectors of the economy with restricted access for foreign investors.

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