“Sources close to the Kremlin” told independent TV station Dozhd that the arrest of Baring Vostok founder Michael Calvey on Feb. 15 – which President Putin at least knew about and perhaps endorsed – were caused by suspicions that the private equity firm funded Russian opposition groups. “They tried to shake things up before the …
Baring Vostok case not about politics, but perhaps about geopolitics Read More
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
Roskomnadzor, the Russian telecom and Internet regulator, initiated today a lawsuit against Twitter for failing to provide information about its compliance with the Russian data-localization law. The US microblogging platform is now facing an administrative fine of 5,000 rubles ($764 at the current exchange rate). Ultimately Twitter, should it violate the law, could be blocked …
Twitter targeted by lawsuit for non compliance with Russian data-localization law Read More
Yesterday four key European business associations operating in Russia published a “common statement” with regards to the Baring Vostok case in which two foreign top managers of the firm, US citizen Michael Calvey and French citizen Philippe Delpal, were detained Friday. These business associations stated the following: The Association of European Businesses, the German-Russian Chamber …
US citizen Michael Calvey, a figure of the Russian private equity scene, was detained Friday in Moscow as part of a large-scale fraud investigation (read more about the charges). The news has put the Russian investor and tech community under shock. Calvey is the founder of Baring Vostok Capital Partners, one of the most established …
Baring Vostok founder under arrest: The Russian tech investment community under shock 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
Russia’s biggest illegal online casino, Azino777, operates out of Ukraine and has managed some of its money flows through a Ukrainian branch of Russia’s bank Sberbank, Russian business media outlet The Bell reported on Feb. 4, referring to decisions by a Ukrainian court. The Bell journalists found a mistake in a document of Kyiv Holosiivskyi District …
Court mistake reveals Russia’s largest underground online casino works from Ukraine 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
