Meduza

Meduza is an independent-minded online media that brings news and feature stories from hundreds of sources in Russia and across the former Soviet Union in both Russian and English languages. This publication has been designated a "foreign agent" by the Russian authorities under a controversial law.

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How Vkontakte cooperates with Russian law enforcement and secret service agencies

November 16, 2018

Liliya Chanysheva, an activist who works at Alexey Navalny’s headquarters in St. Petersburg, is suing the social network Vkontakte (a property of LSE-listed Mail.Ru Group) for disclosing users’ personal information to Russian law enforcement. According to Chanysheva’s lawyer, police have tried to justify the information collection by citing two federal laws, though both these laws limit …

How Vkontakte cooperates with Russian law enforcement and secret service agencies Read More

Russian authorities press Google to stop “meddling in Russian elections”

September 5, 2018

Two official Russian bodies, the Central Election Commission and the telecom regulator Roskomnadzor, have called Google to stop making its resources available for what they judge to be illegal activities during elections. Thus, the electoral commission has sent a formal letter to Larry Page complaining about Alexey Navalny, an opposition leader, using YouTube to distribute information …

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Mail.Ru Group’s social networks reject advertisements from ruling party ‘United Russia’

September 4, 2018

In a new sign of their search for a relative independence in Russia’s digital space, the social networks VK (Vkontakte) and OK (Odnoklassniki) have rejected new advertisements from United Russia where the ruling party claims to be “the president’s party.” As reported by online publication Znak.com from a source in one of United Russia’s regional offices, Mail.ru …

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Yandex caves to Russia’s federal censor in dispute over Internet piracy

August 30, 2018

Roskomnadzor, the Russian telecom and Internet regulator, threatened to block Yandex’s video service, following an August 24 verdict by the Moscow City Court ordering the website to remove all hyperlinks to pirated content from its search results. Earlier this month, several television stations filed lawsuits against Yandex, where links to pirated copies of their content …

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Telegram agrees to share some user data with governments “to fight terrorism”

August 17, 2019

The instant messenger Telegram has rewritten its privacy policy, and Russians are raising their eyebrows at Section 8.3, where the network now says it may disclose users’ IP addresses and phone numbers “to the relevant authorities,” if it “receives a court order [confirming] that you’re a terror suspect.” Telegram says it’s yet to surrender any …

Telegram agrees to share some user data with governments “to fight terrorism” Read More

US senator worries that Mail.ru might be the next ‘Cambridge Analytica scandal’

July 12, 2018

Until 2015, several applications developed for Facebook by third-party companies had access to personal information shared by users and their friends. The apps could see names, genders, birth dates, places of birth, photos, and “liked” posts and pages. One of the businesses that collaborated with Facebook like this was the Russian company Mail.ru [part of …

US senator worries that Mail.ru might be the next ‘Cambridge Analytica scandal’ Read More

Yandex leaks internal Google Docs apparently shared by Russian banks, state officials, and Internet trolls

July 6, 2018

On the evening of July 4, Russian Internet users realized that the search engine Yandex has been indexing a surprising array of information stored on Google Docs, including files containing passwords, credit card numbers, and corporate documents. Yandex’s press service says the company’s actions were perfectly legitimate, but within hours of Wednesday’s discovery the search …

Yandex leaks internal Google Docs apparently shared by Russian banks, state officials, and Internet trolls Read More

Internet regulator Roskomnadzor challenged in courts for blocking websites in controversial procedures

May 31, 2018

The Russian news site Znak.com has won a lawsuit against Roskomnadzor, the Internet and telecom regulator which illustrated itself recently by its failed attempts to block access to Telegram. As reported by Meduza.io, Roskomnadzor accused Znak.com of publishing a video that contained obscene language. Znak.com produced phonoscopic evidence establishing the absence of any foul words in the video, convincing a …

Internet regulator Roskomnadzor challenged in courts for blocking websites in controversial procedures Read More

Russian military to deploy mobile electronic warfare stations in all World Cup cities

May 22, 2018

To guard against drone attacks during this summer’s FIFA World Cup, the Russian military will deploy mobile electronic warfare stations in all 11 cities where games will take place between June 14 and July 15. By executive order, the Russian authorities will also be cracking down on alcohol sales and public demonstrations in host cities, as reported …

Russian military to deploy mobile electronic warfare stations in all World Cup cities Read More

Russia’s crackdown on Telegram disrupts Google services across the country

April 23, 2018

On April 23, Russian Internet users reported mass disruptions to almost all services offered by Google — from the main search engine to the company’s reCAPTCHA (which distinguishes human users from bots). The outages started after Russia’s federal censor added another 118 Google IP addresses to the country’s Internet blacklist over the weekend. After a wave …

Russia’s crackdown on Telegram disrupts Google services across the country Read More

Mail.Ru’s TamTam positions itself to replace Telegram in Russia

April 19, 2018

A few days before the Russian authorities started blocking access to Telegram, advertisements for another chat app started appearing in major Russian newspapers and even on several Telegram channels. The service, dubbed ‘TamTam,’ touts itself as a “complete copy of Telegram” and “another messenger with channels,” positioning itself to replace Telegram in Russia.  TamTam is owned …

Mail.Ru’s TamTam positions itself to replace Telegram in Russia Read More

Russia’s Health Ministry wants a ban of online propaganda from ‘HIV dissidents’

April 19, 2018

As reported by business daily Kommersant, Russia’s Health Ministry has proposed legislation that would outlaw the publication of information that incites people to refuse medical treatment for HIV infections. The ban would also apply to propaganda for so-called “HIV dissidents” — people who believe the AIDS virus is a myth. Individuals who defy the law would face …

Russia’s Health Ministry wants a ban of online propaganda from ‘HIV dissidents’ Read More

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