Private Internet Access (PIA), a US-based VPN provider whose users may anonymously visit webpages and bypass site blockings, has announced that has discontinued its Russian gateways and will no longer be doing business in the region. PIA seems to be the first international player to stop activities in the country after the adoption of Russia’s latest “anti-terrorist” legislation. Under this …
Today Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the controversial “anti-terrorist” legislation adopted by the lower and upper houses of parliament in late June, despite the flurry of criticism coming from opposition-mided circles and the serious concerns expressed by Russian telecom and Internet companies. As reported earlier by East-West Digital News, the new legislation — which Edward Snowden has called …
Putin signs ‘Big Brother law,’ asks government to “minimize implementation risks” Read More
In late June, the Russian parliament approved controversial amendments to Russia’s anti-terrorist legislation. Drafted by lawmakers Irina Yarovaya and Viktor Ozerov, the new legislation may have deep consequences for people living and using digital networks in Russia. The amendments are yet to be signed by President Putin [which he did on July 7 update]. A substantial part of the …
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
Earlier this week Roskomnadzor, the Russian telecom and Internet regulator, added Amazon’s cloud storage domain (s3.amazonaws.com) to the register of prohibited sites, before cancelling this access restriction. The web address was included into the register on June 21, although the Tax Service had already ordered to do so in May. According to Russian tech blog Habrahabr, the …
Russian authorities block, then unblock, Amazon’s cloud service Read More
More than six months after its launch, Russia’s national bank card MIR is already supported by more than a hundred Russian banks, 13 of which actually issue the card, according to the Russian central bank’s subsidiary NSPC (or NSPK), which operates the MIR card. Card acceptance is not ubiquitous yet in Russia, however, if judging by the …
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
The Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation officially recognized competitive video gaming (known as “eSports,” or “computer sports” in Russian) as a sport. The decision, published on June 3, will take effect on July 18, 2016. eSports will now benefit from support from the federal government while cyber-athletes will be able to receive such …
Competitive video gaming now officially a sport in Russia Read More
Russia has seen a dramatic rise in criminal prosecutions on charges of “Internet extremism” over the last few months. Yet most of these cases concern not the creation of extremist content but retweeting, liking or reposting it. Russia Beyond The Headlines, a publication owned by government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta and a syndication partner of East-West …
Jailed for a repost: The definition of extremism in Russia gets ever looser Read More
The billionaire Evgeny Prigozhin is demanding that Yandex delete from its search results an article about the Internet Research Agency, better known as Russia’s “troll factory.” Several news outlets, including the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, have published articles claiming that Prigozhin is the brains and money behind the troll factory. The billionaire has also demanded that Yandex …
Russia’s proposed bitcoin ban will hinder blockchain technology’s development in the Russian Federation, according to German Gref, chairman of the board at Sberbank, Russia’s national savings bank, and former economic development minister, speaking at the Skolkovo business school Saturday, according to Lenta.ru, a Moscow-based news site. Gref said blockchain is a new web technology comparable …
