A new law regulating the activity of foreign digital companies in Russia, adopted in early July, is already coming into force, as witnessed by several new orders issued last week by Roskomnadzor, the Internet and telecom regulator.
Owners of websites, information systems, or electronic programs that generate a daily traffic of 500,000 users from Russia or more are required to open a representative office in Russia. They must also add a feedback form to their websites to receive messages from Russian users, comply with local “requirements, prohibitions, and restrictions,” and respond to notices from Roskomnadzor.
A provision of the law says that, should they “violate Russian law,” websites belonging to foreign entities will be labeled on search engine results pages. Another one establishes a procedure for removing the links to these sites from search results altogether.
Sanctions against violators may go as far as blocking international transfers of personal data, or even blocking access to the site from Russia.
Independent online publication Meduza offers a detailed overview of this legislation in a practical perspective.
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