 |
| Russia is working to strengthen the so-called sovereignty of the Internet |
According to a document published by the Russian government, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law requiring foreign social media platforms to open offices in Russia. This is Moscow's latest move to exert more control over big tech companies.
The Russian authorities are keen to strengthen their control over the Internet and reduce dependence on foreign companies and countries.
In the past, Russia's political opposition to the Kremlin has used foreign social media platforms to organize so-called illegal protests and announced a politically motivated investigation into suspected corruption.
Moscow fined the company for not removing content it deemed illegal as a penalty and for slowing Twitter.
Alphabet, Google's parent company, has filed a new personal data breach complaint.
The new law states that foreign companies doing business online in Russia must establish branches, open offices or create Russian legal entities.
Alexander Kinstein, head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy and Information Technologies, the lower house of the Russian parliament, said that the law applies to Internet giants who have less than 500,000 viewers per day in Russia.
He wrote on his Telegram channel that the company should create a personal account through the Roskomnadzor website, which oversees communications for the Russian state.
Russia strengthens internet regulation
The authors of the bill stressed the need to create a local office, otherwise foreign websites would not be subject to Russian jurisdiction.
Websites and organizations that do not accept the law and do not establish a local office will be penalized. For example, it has been flagged as incompatible in search engines, removed from search results, or banned in the country.
Russia is going after social media companies that failed to remove content deemed illegal by Moscow in a timely manner. Facebook, Google, Telegram and Twitter will hold hearings on the new fees later this month.
RIA said the new law could affect 20 companies. Including retailers and e-commerce companies.