Next month, the State Duma will likely vote on a second reading of legislation drafted by lawmakers Lyudmila Bokova, Andrey Klishas and Andrey Lugovoy that would guard against and simultaneously facilitate the isolation of the Russian Internet. In mid-February, the bill’s first reading passed with support from 334 of the Duma’s 450 deputies; 69 lawmakers didn’t vote at …
Why lawmakers consider ‘isolating’ Russian Internet Read More
Yesterday President Putin signed two controversial laws which may have a significant impact on Internet information in Russia. Containing a series of amendments to Article 153 of the Federal Law On Information, Information Technology and Protection of Information, the first law provides the authorities with larger legal grounds to combat what they may consider to be fake news. Said amendments …
On March 6, lawmakers passed the second reading of a bill that will make it illegal to post “fake news” on the Internet. The final vote tally was 327 deputies in favor, 42 deputies opposed. The State Duma is now expected to pass the third and final reading of the legislation, send it to the …
Last week the State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament, approved a bill banning military personnel from using smartphones on duty. As reported by AP, the new law formalizes restrictions earlier ordered by the Defense Ministry. Servicemen will no longer be allowed to post photos, videos and information about themselves, other soldiers and their …
Russia to ban smartphones in the military over social media fears Read More
The Russian government has adopted a resolution requiring all satellite traffic in Russia (including telephone and Internet communications) to transmit through ground stations. The new requirements take effect in six months. According to business daily RBC, the resolution is based on findings by the Communications Ministry that operators might create a national security threat by offering “uncontrolled use …
Russia’s government bans the use of satellite Internet without ground stations Read More
Alexander Konovalov, Russia’s Minister of Justice, said on February 13, during the government hour in the Federation Council, that clear legislation on cryptocurrencies would not be formalized anytime soon. According to news agency Tass, Konovalov said both the constitution and the current financial system’s legislation “categorically prohibits the use of the cryptocurrency as a means of …
Russia’s Minister of Justice: Cryptocurrencies do not need to be legally defined yet Read More
The Russian parliament is discussing draft amendments to the existing legislation to ensure a “secure and stable functioning” of the Internet network. Should these amendments be adopted, the country would use its own domain name system and Internet traffic routing, where only Russian websites would work. The telecom and Internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, would be responsible for centralizing …
Russian parliament discusses Internet isolation plan amid budget uncertainty Read More
Google has “established a constructive dialogue” with Roskomnadzor, the Russian telecom and Internet regulator, to delete from search results websites that are banned in Russia, the Russian media reported, citing the Roskomnadzor press office. While refusing to connect to Federal State Information System (FGIS), Roskomnadzor’s registry of banned sites, the US company began deleting blacklisted links …
Google agrees with Russian authorities to filter censored content Read More
While Facebook and Twitter are being exposed to administrative charges for non-compliance with Russia’s data localization law, Apple Inc. detailed the user data it is storing in Russia. Apple users in the region have data including their name, delivery address, email address and phone number stored on servers in Russia. The company said it collects …
Apple provides details on compliance with Russian data-localization law Read More
The Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF, FRII in Russian) is lobbying Russian lawmakers to adjust the legal definition of personal data, introduce the concept of “depersonalized data” and allow citizens to sell their own “depersonalized data” on the market. According to the fund, which has prepared draft amendments to the existing legislation, individuals could earn as much …
Russian Big Data business wants to create legal market for ‘depersonalized data’ Read More
Yesterday the State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament, voted to approve the first reading of two bills that place certain limits on freedom of speech in Russia. One essentially prohibits citizens from publishing unreliable news stories on the Internet while applying the same prohibition to news outlets both online and in other media. …
Russian lawmakers to outlaw ‘fake news’ and insulting the government Read More
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 …
Russian lawmakers amend criminal code to reduce pressure on social media activity Read More
