On Nov. 1, 2019, Russia’s so-called sovereign Internet law came into force “to ensure the integrity, continuity, stability, resilience, and security of the functioning of the Internet’s Russian national segment.” Its practical purpose is to prepare the country to be potentially cut off from the rest of the World Wide Web. The new legislation, however, is …
Facebook and Twitter have not provided yet the required information about the storage location of the Russian personal data they process, the authorities stated Friday. Roskomnadzor, the Internet and telecom regulator, said Friday the two companies could be forced to pay a fine ranging from 1 million rubles (approximately $16,000) and 6 million rubles ($94,000). …
Facebook, Twitter threatened with fines over data localization law Read More
The Russian Federation has a new prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, previously head of the country’s tax administration. In this position, Mishustin made comments about cryptocurrencies on multiple occasions, crypto news outlet Forklog reminded. Nobody trusted paper money when it was introduced into circulation and it had to be backed with the gold reserves of central …
Russia’s new prime minister has an opinion of cryptocurrencies Read More
It’s been two months since Russia passed the sovereign internet law giving it the right to cut Russia from the rest of the online world. Not much has changed, despite fears that the new legislation would usher in an era of strict control. Experts say the Russian legal and administrative systems contains enough loopholes and …
Will Russia enforce its new Internet laws in 2020? Read More
Although many of them are still wary about legalizing decentralized digital money, governments around the world are nevertheless tempted to tap into incomes from the cryptoconomy or feel obliged to prevent illicit uses of cryptocurrencies. With each step authorities take to achieve their goals in either of these directions, however, they inevitably add another layer …
Russia’s Supreme Court recognizes tokens as assets like money and property Read More
Russia will soon force tech companies to pre-install Russian-made government-approved applications and software onto new smartphones, tablets, PCs and other devices. The measures — dubbed the “law against Apple” due to the U.S. iPhone maker’s refusal to sell products loaded with third-party apps — sailed through the Russian parliament and was rubber-stamped by President Vladimir Putin Monday. …
Russia mandates pre-installed Russian-made apps on all smartphones, tablets and computers Read More
Last week President Vladimir Putin signed the formal decree making the necessary changes to Russian law for the Yandex to change ownership and governance rules. These changes, their background and implications were analyzed by Mrs. Tatyana Stanovaya, the founder of the political analysis project R.Politik and a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center. Earlier this month, Russian …
At present, cryptocurrencies don’t have any legal status and are not regulated in Russia. Yet a company called Artel has managed to officially add bitcoin to its authorized equity capital. Not without giving the entity a hard time, the country’s Federal Tax Service eventually agreed to register the change in its status. According to experts …
Russian tax authority registers crypto as part of a company’s capital Read More
Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament, has adopted the final reading of amendments to the law on mass media, applying the status of “foreign agent” to mass media outlets. If approved by the upper house of parliament and signed by the President, the law will designate any legal entities or individuals as foreign agents if they …
New legislation considers bloggers with income abroad as ‘foreign agents’ Read More
Yandex, the NASDAQ-listed Russian Internet leader, is planning a major overhaul of its governance structure, answering a long-standing government pressure over its governance and ownership. Under the plans announced yesterday, Yandex will create a new “Public Interest Foundation” which will control Yandex’s so-called golden share, providing veto power over significant ownership transactions. Since 2009, this golden …
On November 5, Russia’s State Duma approved the first reading of a new bill that would obligate non-Russian producers of smartphones, computers, and smart TVs to pre-install Russian-made apps on their devices. If it ultimately becomes law, the bill will likely take effect on July 1, 2020. Under such legislation, the executive branch of the …
Russia’s State Duma is in the process of passing over 50 laws to regulate new technologies in the IT sector, which last year generated almost 5% of GDP and is growing at a rate of 10 to 15%. The most controversial of them — the so-called sovereign internet law that will allow Russia to cut …
