Russia's relationship with the Internet has long been dicey, with claims of censorship and surveillance being the norm. Now a new law might up the ante. The law, passed by Parliament yesterday, will mean that Russian Internet companies will have to keep records of citizens' personal data within the country's borders.
"Most Russians don't want their data to leave Russia for the United States, where it can be hacked and given to criminals," MP Vadim Dengin said, describing the rationale behind the law. "Our entire lives are stored over there," he added.
But not everyone approaches the law with such positive zeal. "Many global Internet services would be impossible," Russia's Association of Electronic Communication said earlier this week, warning that it would simply facilitate state censorship and surveillance. "The bill takes the right of people over their own personal data away from them."
[via The Verge]