You shared an OVD-Info post on social media 5 years ago. Should you worry?

You shared an OVD-Info post on social media 5 years ago. Should you worry?

We asked you this question in a quiz last week, and from the reactions we realized that the answer is not obvious. We’re explaining it together with our lawyer.

Unfortunately, law enforcement considers any publication on the internet to be an ongoing offense. This means that even if you reposted an “extremist organization” many years ago, you can still be held liable for it. We know of at least three cases where reposts were classified as participation in the activities of a banned organization.

What should you do in practice? At a minimum, it is worth assessing your risks. If you live in Russia or travel there, it is safer to delete old reposts.

Of course, censoring yourself is an unpleasant experience, because human rights advocacy, mutual aid, freedom of speech, and the desire to live in a democratic country are not extremism. But under conditions of repression, it is important to assess risks and try to minimize them. Including in order to preserve the ability to keep doing what you believe in.

We explained exactly how to look for extremism in your social media here — based on the experience of our editor A. Read this piece and take care of yourself!

❗️ As you already understand, publicly sharing this post may also be unsafe. But you can still read us and like our posts!