Digital content & Related technologies

Activist group publishes hacked e-mails and leaked documents from Russia

February 4, 2019

A self-described “transparency collective” has released a massive trove of hacked e-mails and leaked documents from what it describes as “Russian politicians, journalists, oligarchs, [and] religious, and social figures.” The materials were published online on January 25 by a group calling itself Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDOS), which says it is “aimed at enabling the …

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Blockchain in healthcare: Innovators from Eastern Europe called to submit manuscripts and join peer-review board

February 6, 2019

Russian and CEE experts engaged in real-world application of blockchain and converging technologies in healthcare and life sciences are invited to submit original manuscripts and apply for the international Peer Review Board of the recently launched Blockchain in Healthcare Today (BHTY) journal. A first-in-category, BHTY is the only international peer-review open-access continuous no-deadline journal dedicated to publishing theoretical …

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Russian lawmakers amend criminal code to reduce pressure on social media activity

January 8, 2019

On December 19 the State Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, adopted amendments to the criminal code article that represses “the provocation to hatred or enmity ” and “offence to human dignity.” The amendments partially decriminalize the code’s Article 282, which has been widely used for such offences involving social media content. As reported by online …

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Mail.Ru Group agrees full acquisition of music rights owner UMA for $97 million

December 28, 2018

LSE-listed Mail.Ru Group, which owns Russia’s largest social networks Vkontakte (VK) and Odnoklassiki (OK), has signed an option agreement to complete the acquisition of United Media Agency (UMA), an aggregator and distributor of digital content. UMA is, in particular, the owner of music rights in Vkontakte and of BOOM, a top music app. “Mail.Ru Group’s relationship …

Mail.Ru Group agrees full acquisition of music rights owner UMA for $97 million Read More

Russian and Belarusian investors back AR technology developer Banuba

December 4, 2018

Larnabel Ventures, a company founded by Russian businessman Said Gutseriev, and VP Capital, a venture fund backed by Belarusian businessman Viktor Prokopenya, have teamed up to invest $7 million in Banuba. Born in Belarus but now registered in Hong Kong and operating internationally, this startup develops innovative AI technologies and AR apps. Users are provided with an experience …

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Google faces fine for refusing to censor search results in Russia

December 4, 2018

On November 26 Roskomnadzor, the Russian telecom and Internet regulator, announced administrative charges against Google  for failing to comply with a law that requires online search engines to purge any hyperlinks to materials that are banned in Russia. Google has also refused to connect to the federal information system where these websites are listed. For violating …

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Dagestani ministry offers iPhone SE for reporting online “extremist content”

October 12, 2018

The Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of Dagestan, an autonomous republic in Southern Russia, has created an anonymous hotline for citizens to report “extremist content” found online. The campaign targets the “propaganda or public justification of terrorism; hate speech related to ethnic origin or religious orientation; and other types of prohibited content.” A video …

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WayRay secures $80 million from international consortium, targets $1 billion valuation in 2019

September 19, 2018

Wayray, a startup with Russian origins which has developed holographic AR displays for cars, has attracted $80 million in a Series C round led by Porsche and China Merchants Capital, a major Chinese investment firm. The other investors are Hyundai Motor, Alibaba Group, JVCKENWOOD and a consortium of sovereign funds. These include the Russia-Japan Investment Fund, established last year, alongside the …

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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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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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Moscow-based “funtech incubator” invested in 20 companies in one year

August 29, 2018

The Moscow-based investment firm FunCubator has invested 35 million rubles ($550,000) in PlatformaVR, a Russian VR-oriented game publisher. The deal was closed in April and publicly announced earlier this month. The funding will be used to create new content as well as for PlatformaVR’s international expansion. The startup has “one of the strongest teams in …

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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

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