The Russian government has been accused of orchestrating a hack that leaked some 20,000 U.S. Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails, after which the DNC Chairwoman resigned. The Hillary Clinton campaign chairman, Robby Mook, told reporters Sunday that “some experts” are saying that “this was done by the Russians for the purpose of helping Donald Trump.” …
Is Russia meddling in the US presidential election? Read More
‘Pokemon Go,’ the latest online game by Nintendo, went viral in a matter of days after it was released in the United States, Australia and New Zealand on July 6. With its interface placing cartoon creatures on actual landscapes captured by a smartphone camera, “Pokemon Go” is said to have created a new reality — …
When Pokemon virtual reality meets Russian reality Read More
VKontakte (VK), Russia’s leading social network, is to introduce subscription for its music services, the Izvestia newspaper reported Wednesday. Users will still be able to listen to music on the site for free, but some paid functions will appear at the start of 2017. “Users will still be able to listen to audio recordings for free …
The Moscow police have recorded an 86% rise in online extremism in the first half of 2016, compared to the same period last year, the Interfax news agency reported. Anatoly Yakunin, the head of Moscow’s Interior Ministry announced that all forms of extremist crimes had risen 25% in the first half of the year but …
Moscow police report 86% rise in online hate crime Read More
As reported earlier this week by East-West Digital News, a quirky mobile photo app named ‘Prisma’ has been leading Apple’s App Store ranking in Russia and several neighboring countries since June 20 — just ten days after launch. Among its millions of users are a bevy of Russian celebrities, from Russian Prime Minister DMitry Medvedev, to supermodels Irina Shayk …
Russia’s Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, has approved a law requiring foreign companies to pay value added tax (VAT) of 18 percent on online content, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday. The bill, nicknamed the “Google tax law”, will also require companies who distribute or sell online applications, games, music, or other content …
Russian parliament approves ‘Google Tax’ for foreign app stores Read More
A Russian hacker has pled guilty in a U.S court to aiding in the theft of $1.6 million, international media reported Monday. Vadim Polyakov, 32, was the leader of a $1.6-million international ticket-scamming ring. He hacked into more than 1,000 accounts on U.S. ticket sales website StubHub. Using the credit card details attached to the …
Russian hacker pleads guilty of ticket-scamming ring in US court Read More
Members of the Russian State Duma have approved the third reading of a new bill requiring foreign IT companies to pay value added tax (VAT) on the sale of online content, the Slon.ru news website reported Wednesday. The bill, nicknamed the “Google tax law,” requires companies which distribute or sell online applications, games, music, or …
Last week, the Russian State Duma approved the third reading of a law regulating the work of news aggregators, the Slon.ru news website reported. The law received unanimous support, with 319 deputies voting for the law and none against. The law holds news aggregators accountable for the dissemination of false information. The law reduces fines for …
Russian parliament passes law to regulate news aggregators Read More
Facebook has entered into negotiations with Yandex, the Russian search giant, over a potential partnership deal, Russian business daily Vedomosti newspaper reported Monday, citing unnamed sources close to both companies. The companies are discussing exchanging user data and possible joint promotions, Vedomosti reported. One of the newspaper’s sources, allegedly close to Facebook, said that negotiations are still in the …
Yandex and Facebook in talks to share user data and combine advertising inventories Read More
Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has ruled the final results of the Democratic Coalition’s online primaries void after their website came under attack from hackers. Personal data belonging to thousands of opposition voters was leaked online after the coalition’s website was targeted. The CEC ruled that it was impossible to establish any final results. “Due …
Russian opposition primaries undermined by cyber attacks Read More
All Moscow buses, trolleybuses and trams will be equipped with free wireless Internet connection by the end of this year, news website M24.ru reported Wednesday, citing the city’s transportation authority Mosgortrans. Free Wi-Fi is currently available on 4,000 buses, trams and trolleybuses around the city. “The new service is gaining popularity among passengers. More than …
Moscow ground transport to get Wi-Fi by end of 2016 Read More
