Companies - services Facebook, gmail and Skype or Whatsapp, appear to be facing a big problem in Russia.
Russia's Parliament has passed a bill that could spell trouble for Western tech companies if they don't start storing their data inside the country. The legislation will require its companies Silicon Valley, such as Facebook, Google's Gmail, and Microsoft's Skype, to transfer all data originating from the country's citizens to Russian territory in order to allow the authorities to legally control the data they want.
Currently, the Russian authorities do not have the authority to acquire data stored outside its borders unless they make a legitimate request for mutual legal co-operation, which the country does not want because it does not like to cooperate.
The amendment concerning "Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection" and is part of counterterrorism laws of the country, will require Russian data to be stored within the country, to be accessible by services security of the state reports ZDNet.
In this case if any Russian or foreign electronic service post officey, social networking site, or instant messaging provider, does not provide access to at least six months of data, will face the possibility of being banned from the country.
Ο law – ο οποίος δεν έχει επικυρωθεί ακόμη από τον Ρώσο Πρόεδρο Vladimir Putin – will oblige all foreign companies to install their servers and datacenters inside Russia in order to comply with the law. It will give Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB, formerly KGB) and other media and "mass communications" a regulatory role for the betterment of Russia's Internet.
The amendment comes just two weeks after the retention of such data retention laws by the European Union's Supreme Court.
As a non-member of the European Union, Russia recognizes some laws from Brussels - to maintain relations with the 28 Member States block but actively rejects others - not least in its legislation, to fight terrorism and collect data .
