Alexander Zharov, the head of the telecom and Internet regulator Roskomnadzor, said in an interview with Interfax that nine VPN services may be blocked on Russian territory “within a month” if they do not comply with the federal censorship agency’s demands. Roskomnadzor contacted each of the VPN providers in question at the end of March 2019 to demand that …
Update June 7 – According to media reports, Yandex and the authorities reached an agreement on how to apply the legislation as for providing law enforcement bodies with access to encrypted user content. Yandex, the Russian digital giant, received a request from Russian secret service, the FSB, to grant them access to encrypted user content …
Russia requires Yandex, Tinder to make user content available to law enforcement agencies Read More
Russia’s Communications Ministry has specified a list of threats that may necessitate isolation of the country’s Internet under a new law signed by President Vladimir Putin on May 1. In a proposal published on the parliament’s online portal, where registered users can critique a proposal on how the new legislation would be implemented in practice, …
Russia specifies which threats could necessitate Internet isolation Read More
Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab, one of the world’s top cyber security vendors, has filed a lawsuit against Cybersecurity Solutions, a company founded by former employees now in dissolution, in an IP rights dispute. Kaspersky claims the company was founded in 2018 by some of its banking fraud prevention employees who were still working for Kaspersky at …
Kaspersky Lab sues former employees in IP rights dispute Read More
A court case in Russia has signaled a change in the attitude authorities have towards the cryptocurrency space, at least on first glance. After prosecutors gave up their efforts to block the website – citing the upcoming Russian legislation meant to regulate Bitcoin – Bestchange.ru will be allowed to restore normal operations. This online portal …
Russian prosecutors take softer stance on crypto website Read More
Unsurprisingly the Russian president signed into law on May 1 a bill which aims to “ensure the safe and sustainable functioning” of the Internet in the country. The authorities say the law will defend the country against foreign aggression, serving as insurance, in case Russia’s global Internet access is shut off from abroad. Supporters of …
President Putin signs controversial “sovereign Internet” bill into law Read More
One year after Russian authorities decided to block it, the instant messenger Telegram continues to be widely accessible from Russia. Almost half of Telegram users in Russia do need to use VPNs to access the service, according to Telegram Analytics; but the number of daily users of the service in Russia grew from 3.7 million …
One year after ban, Telegram still accessible from Russia with growing audience Read More
Yesterday, as the lower house of Parliament adopted in third reading a controversial law to “ensure the safe and sustainable functioning” of the Internet in Russia, the head of Internet regulator and censor Roskomnadzor compared the bill to nuclear weapons. “This is a pretty formidable weapon, but I hope that, like the nuclear weapons several …
New Internet isolation bill is “a pretty formidable weapon,” says Russian Internet censor Read More
Facebook and Twitter have been given nine months by Roskomnadzor, the Russian telecom and Internet regulator, to move Russian users’ data onto servers located physically on Russia soil. As reported yesterday by the Interfax news agency, Roskomnadzor’s head Alexander Zharov expressed “hope” that the two companies will comply with Russian legislation on personal data storage, and …
Facebook and Twitter given nine more months to comply with Russian data-localization law Read More
Yesterday the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, adopted in second reading a legislation designed to “ensure the safe and sustainable functioning” of the Internet in Russia. Lawmakers say the law will defend the country against foreign aggression, serving as insurance, in case Russia’s global Internet access is shut off from abroad. Supporters of …
Russian lawmakers adopt final version of new ‘Internet isolation’ law Read More
In a first sign of a milder attitude towards Michal Calvey since his arrest in mid-February, a Moscow court placed him today under house arrest for at least three days. The court’s decision follows a petition submitted by Russia’s Investigative Committee, whose investigators “have determined that Calvey possesses strong social ties in Moscow, has a …
Following criticisms by representatives of foreign businesses working in Russia, Russia’s Federal Tax Service (FTS) has prepared a draft letter in favor of restoring the old rules governing the payment of the so-called “Google tax” (VAT on e-services) by foreign e-service providers. As reported by the business daily Vedomosti, the new rules came into effect on …
Foreign companies re-allowed to pay ‘Google tax’ under old rules Read More
