Putin signs law requiring internet companies to store data in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law requiring internet companies to store Russian data within Russia. If they don’t, the internet companies run the risk of being blocked.

With Putin’s signature, the law is finally passed; parliament had previously given its approval, Cnet writes. The law, which will come into effect in two years’ time, will require companies such as Facebook and Google to store Russian users’ data within Russia.

It is unclear whether those companies will cooperate with the law; if they don’t, access may be blocked. At the moment, Twitter and Facebook do not yet have offices in Russia; Google does.

According to the drafters of the law, it is safer if data is stored within Russia, because it could be hacked abroad. However, the law is probably mainly intended to make it easier to retrieve private data from Russian users: if the data is stored within Russia, it falls under Russian law. At the moment this is not the case, and internet companies can refuse to hand over data.

There is therefore a good chance that the law will reduce the courage of activists to speak freely on social media. They frequently used social media such as Twitter and Facebook to spread criticism. Russia has recently tightened the reins of freedom of expression: for example, protesters can face prison sentences if they participate in unapproved demonstrations.