Russian Government Presses Twitter, Facebook Over Data-Storage Law

[Rogue Valley]

Russian Government Presses Twitter, Facebook Over Data-Storage Law

1/21/19
Russia's communications watchdog has opened administrative proceedings against the U.S. social-media sites Twitter and Facebook for allegedly failing to comply with legislation requiring them to store the personal data of Russian citizens on servers in Russia. The Roskomnadzor agency said on January 21 that the two companies had not provided concrete plans on how they intend to comply with the legislation. "The companies controlling the Facebook and Twitter social networks have provided only formal answers to our demands that they confirm the localization of personal databases of Russian users in Russia," the Roskomnadzor press service said in a statement.

Roskomnadzor head Aleksandr Zharov warned the companies in December that they were not in compliance with the Russian law. The agency received responses before the January 17 deadline Zharov imposed, but found them insufficient. Under the administrative proceeding, the companies could be fined 5,000 rubles ($75) and assigned a deadline of from six months to one year to demonstrate their compliance with the law. The law on personal data was adopted in September 2015 and requires domestic and foreign companies to store the personal data of Russian citizens on servers in Russia.

Under this law, all internet companies having a "up/down" data presence in Russia (Google, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) must locate the data servers on Russian soil.

This is so the Russian security services can physically confiscate data on Russian citizens stored on these servers if the companies refuse to cooperate.