Facebook and Twitter are in breach of laws requiring personal data to be kept on Russian soil, say the authorities.
Russia’s media regulator is suing both Facebook and Twitter because the companies haven’t given it the information it needs under the country’s data-localization law.
In 2015, Russia introduced a law that forces cloud and online service providers to store the personal information of Russian users in local data centers. The requirement is ostensibly for Russian citizens’ protection, but forms part of a wider drive to regulate what people do online in the country.
Facebook and Twitter have been taking their time in notifying their compliance with the law. In December, Roskomnadzor sent them formal letters demanding that they do so, and on Friday the regulator announced that it has finally received responses from them.
On Monday, Roskomnadzor said it is not happy with Facebook and Twitter’s letters. “They do not contain any specifics about the actual execution of the law at the moment, nor the timing of the execution of these rules in the future,” it said in an emailed statement. “In this regard, Roskomnadzor is starting administrative proceedings against both companies today.”
The Russian news agency TASS also reported Friday that Twitter was not sending a representative to discuss Russian legislation with regulators this month, as Roskomnadzor had wanted. The meeting is “probably” postponed, the report stated.
So what happens if Twitter and Facebook continue to refuse to play ball with Roskomnadzor? Under current legislation, not a lot.
The penalty for non-compliance with the data-localization law would be a paltry 5,000 rubles, or $75, plus a demand that they comply within six months to a year.
However, according to a report in Vedomosti, Roskomnadzor is still considering blocking the popular services if they don’t show they are locating their Russian users’ data on Russian soil – a move that would surely provoke a massive international outcry.
