According to a new law that comes into force on Jan. 1, Russian official bodies will no longer be allowed to use foreign software but will have to use Russian programs, and the new regulations will possibly be later extended to cover state companies. Russia Beyond The Headlines analyses this government initiative and the opportunities it …
Russia looks to replace international software with domestic programs Read More
Vladimir Putin has signed into law new legislation that fines Internet search engines 1 million rubles (almost $14,000) for refusing to delete hyperlinks to an individual’s personal information, if legally requested under Russia’s “right to be forgotten.” According to the new law, Internet search engines will be required to remove links to unverified information and …
Russian lawmakers have introduced draft legislation that would levy a tax on the purchase of content and software from foreign IT companies. In particular, the tax would apply to the App Store and Google Play online stores, where Russian customers currently pay no sales taxes. Lawmakers say the new legislation could bring in tens of …
Russian lawmakers propose a new 18% tax on foreign-developed apps Read More
For the first time, Alexander Zharov, the head of Roskomnadzor (Russia’s state media watchdog), floated the prospect of blocking mobile apps sold through Apple’s AppStore and Google Play. Speaking to a group about copyright law earlier today, Zharov proposed the formation of a working group to review the possibility of blocking mobile applications. Boris Edidin, …
Russian censors consider blocking mobile apps on iOS and Android Read More
An appeals court has approved a settlement agreement between photoblogger Ilya Varlamov and the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, which was convicted of publishing 18 of Varlamov’s photographs without his permission. In accordance with the settlement, the newspaper must advertise Varlamov’s work on its website and the websites of its affiliates. Komsomolskaya Pravda has agreed to send 2 million visitors …
In July 2015, a local court in Chyorny Yar issued a countrywide ban on a Wikipedia article about charas hashish, leading to a small crisis in August, where the world’s largest encyclopedia nearly became inaccessible to more than 140 million Russians. In a special report for Novaya Gazeta, photographer Evgeny Feldman went to Chyorny Yar to capture life in …
Chyorny Yar, the village that nearly banned Wikipedia for 140 million Russians Read More
A proposal from State Duma Deputy Alexander Ageyev to block the instant messaging service Telegram in Russia following Friday’s terror attacks in Paris garnered little support on Monday. The instant messaging service was reportedly used by the terrorists. Communications Minister Nikolai Nikiforov said blocking the service because it was popular among Islamic State militants would be …
Russian MP proposal to block Telegram after Paris attacks garners little support Read More
Kendrick White, director of Marchmont Capital Partners, an investment advisory firm, has worked in Russia for 22 years. In 2013, the US businessman was appointed vice rector for innovation policy at the Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod (UNN), a position for which he was suddenly dismissed in June 2015. White now helps Russian inventors find common ground with …
Apple’s music service iTunes has deleted songs by the groups Korroziya Metalla (Corrosion) and Tsiklon-B (Cyclon-B), which Russian courts previously recognized as extremist, according to a press release by Roskomnadzor, the Russia’s government’s media watchdog agency. On October 26, Russian censors blocked several pages of iTunes that contained music by these two bands. By removing …
iTunes removes “extremist” songs to comply with Russian regulator’s order Read More
The second-most popular instant-messaging app in Russia, Viber, has begun storing Russian users’ data on servers located in Russia, the company’s Moscow representative reportedly told the newspaper Izvestia. On September 1, a new law entered force in Russia requiring websites and businesses to store all citizens’ personal data on Russian servers. The legislation was initially supposed to …
Viber reportedly bows to Russian data-localization law, relocates user data to new servers Read More
Russian citizens are allowed to buy embargoed products from foreign online stores, the Federal Customs Service (FCS) has stated in a written answer to an inquiry from customs broker Unitrade on behalf of cross-border e-commerce platform Shopfans. In 2014, following the sanctions applied by western countries against a number of Russian individuals and businesses, Russia …
Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have claimed an important victory in their fight to stop copyright infringement by VKontakte, Russia’s largest social network and the country’s most popular provider of music. A Russian court has ruled that VKontakte must introduce technology to effectively prevent the unauthorised upload of the companies’ sound recordings on to …
Universal and Warner Music groups win case against VKontakte Read More
