Websites spreading war propaganda or disinformation will be blocked, given the declaration of the state of emergency in the country and tensions in society, the Lithuanian Police Department said on Wednesday.
“The current situation in Eastern Europe is particularly favourable for the waging of hybrid attacks and any types of provocations against Lithuania on the instructions of Russian or Belarusian authorities, which poses a threat to the peace and public order,” the department said in a press release.
The department reported that it had identified potential violations of the Law on Public Information related to the spread of information that should not be published and was taking measures required to prevent the dissemination of sensitive information.
“The police has asked domain managers to immediately block access to certain foreign websites in the Republic of Lithuania,” it said.
“The list of these websites has been coordinated with the Internet Media Association, other law and order and intelligence agencies. The list can be updated at any time, triggering the same measures to block such web portals of foreign countries,” it added.
The department also asked the Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics to assess as soon as possible and provide a list of Lithuanian websites spreading propaganda or disinformation.
If there were any such websites, the department would again ask domain managers to block them and would consider holding them liable for misconduct.
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