Foreign non-Government organisations, football hooligans and possibly even hacktivists could be jailed for six years for creating or sharing unpalatable content online under new anti-extremism laws signed off by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

The laws use a loose definition of "extremism" that Russia Today reports is partly intended to combat terrorism but also aimed at slowing the flow of information online to prevent erosion of traditional values. The latter aim is what has earned non-government organisations their place in the law.