Policies

Russia’s government bans the use of satellite Internet without ground stations

February 27, 2019

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 …

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Closed-door endorsement or “factual statements:” How President Putin has involved himself in the Baring Vostok case

March 4, 2019

To which extent was Russian President Vladimir Putin personally aware or supportive of the decision to prosecute Michael Calvey, the founder of leading Russian private equity firm Baring Vostok? The question has been actively discussed since the US businessman’s arrest on Feb.15. Assumptions of the Kremlin’s at least knowledge of the matter stem from the …

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Siberian startup raises $4.5 million for alternative tuberculosis, cancer and HIV treatment technology

February 19, 2019

In late January a Russian government fund injected 305 million rubles (around $4.5 million at the current exchange rate) in Personal Medication & Health Management (PM&HM), a Novosibirsk, Siberia-based company that has developed a new approach to tuberculosis, cancer and HIV treatments.  Founded by researchers from the local branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, PM&HM has designed a …

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Russia’s Minister of Justice: Cryptocurrencies do not need to be legally defined yet

February 17, 2019

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 …

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Russian parliament discusses Internet isolation plan amid budget uncertainty

February 8, 2019

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 …

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Russian Big Data business wants to create legal market for ‘depersonalized data’

January 29, 2019

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 …

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Russian lawmakers to outlaw ‘fake news’ and insulting the government

January 29, 2019

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. …

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“No reason to bury cryptocurrencies,” says Russian PM, but rumor of massive purchase of bitcoin unfounded

January 18, 2019

Government officials made contrasted statements on cryptocurrencies earlier this week at the Gaidar Forum, a yearly conference and elite gathering sometimes dubbed ‘the Russian Davos.’ Thus, Vice Prime Minister Maxim Akimov did not hide his skepticism about digital coins “as currencies,” while Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that their volatility was “not a reason to …

“No reason to bury cryptocurrencies,” says Russian PM, but rumor of massive purchase of bitcoin unfounded Read More

Russian lawmakers amend criminal code to reduce pressure on social media activity

January 8, 2019

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 …

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Eurasian Economic Union considers launching digital currency in response to Western sanctions

December 28, 2018

The member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia – are considering creating a digital currency in 2020 or 2021, the Russian deputy finance minister Alexei Moiseev stated last week. Such a move is “inevitable,” the TASS news agency quoted Moiseev as saying, because of increasing difficulties in trade and …

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Russian parliament postpones adoption of digital assets bill

December 23, 2018

The State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, has postponed the second reading of a long-awaited bill intended to regulate to regulate digital financial assets, including cryptocurrencies, and ICOs. Lawmakers will review the draft law “On Digital Financial Assets” during the spring parliamentary session next year, the house deputy speaker Sergey Neverov announced. In …

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How Russia could build its own, autonomous Internet

December 21, 2018

On December 14 Russian lawmakers Lyudmila Bokova, Andrey Klishas and Andrey Lugovoy submitted to the State Duma 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. …

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