Russia's Vladimir Putin Says Waging No War on Internet Freedom

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday a fight against illegal content on the Internet should not become a fight against freedom, seeking to calm fears over a possible clampdown on media and social networking sites.

Putin told a forum on Internet start-up companies: "Under this pretext (banning inappropriate content like paedophilia, drugs, terrorism or suicide) ... one should not introduce any restrictions on civil liberties and the free market."