The music streamer Spotify was all set to plow into the Russian market, having poached a former Google exec, Alexander Kubaneishvili, to lead the offensive. However, that plan has gone out… Read more »
In the latest move by a U.S. tech firm to abide by sanctions on Crimea, Google will stop Android users on the peninsula from downloading apps from Google Play, according to… Read more »
The U.S. firms have reportedly been told they must store Russians’ local data and metadata on Russian soil, and abide by the same restrictions on free speech to which traditional Russian… Read more »
A Friday report in Vedomosti suggested that, on 22 September, President Putin will meet with the country’s security council to discuss the possibility of cutting out the foreign internet in times… Read more »
Dmitry Medvedev’s Twitter account was taken over by an anti-Kremlin wag on Thursday morning, but it appears to be back in the hands of his team. Read more »
Russia’s clampdown on internet freedom continues, this time with a measure designed to counter “those interested in destabilization.” However, there is some confusion over which hotspots are affected. Read more »
The authorities are angry that the BBC Russia site is carrying an audio interview with an artist who supports a planned — but likely illegal — march for Siberian autonomy. The… Read more »
The first to receive notices demanding that they join a censorship-happy register reportedly include prominent novelists and satirists, who are now expected to abide by the same rules as journalists on… Read more »
The law requires web services operating in Russia to store citizens’ data in local facilities. It’s supposed to protect Russians from overseas hackers, but the censorship potential is clear. Read more »