In this paper, we have investigated the use and effect of policy adjustments on the Russian social media in 2011 – 2012 protest campaign “For honest elections” from policy – cause perspective, as well as on the basis of follow-up events, we assessed possible short and long term effects of the mentioned policy. From late 2011 to March 2012, the Russian political opposition party’s use of social media to organize “For honest elections” protests not only gave birth to two public opinion felds but also challenged the legitimacy of the regime. Therefore, since the third term of Putin’s presidency in 2012, in order to consolidate the regime and provide the security for the system, the policy for social media has started to be regulated. In general, social media’s regulations from loose became strict. Up to now, the Russian government used legal means, administrative means, and capital means. However, although this governance model can be effective in the short term, the long-term effects are hard to predict.