Russia's ban on Wikipedia has been lifted after a day

By Fusion Staff | August 25, 2015 | 2:01pm

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Russian internet regulator Roskomnadzor has lifted a ban on Wikipedia after just one day.

The ban, which Roskomnadzor instituted yesterday over a page about charas, a type of hashish, was reversed this morning.

A statement issued by Roskomnadzor said that “according to expert opinion,” Wikipedia’s entry on charas had been edited to comply with a court order, and was not illegal under Russian law. But users have noticed not much has changed about the article, Sky News pointed out: it just has a slightly different title.

Roskomnadzor had previously said on a post on the Russian social network VK that because Wikipedia uses HTTPS to ensure secure communication, it would be banning the entire site, not just the offending article. Like a prank edit on Wikipedia, the move was swiftly reversed and the site was restored.

Ethan Chiel is a reporter for Fusion, writing mostly about the internet and technology. You can (and should) email him at [email protected]