ABSTRACT
Our account of the asymmetrical information-based system that Russia was able to establish and maintain with strict restrictions on free speech is summed up in this section, using the insights from George Akerlof, looked at through the systems theory of Niklas Luhman. We summarise our analysis of how Russia’s gradual erosion of free speech contributed to the information asymmetry by pointing out that it is a result of three factors combined: (a) data, (b) symmetrising data, and (c) sharing data that is asymmetric. We also tracked legislative amendments tightening free expression after 2012 and tried to examine how the law was used in ordinary conditions and during crises. We also rounded up our monitoring of how tighter legislative restrictions on free speech were implemented after 2012, observing its application both in ordinary conditions and during crises.
