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Anti-terror package of laws defends Russia’s information sovereignty — MP

A Russian lawmaker says the government has two years to find effective technological solutions to protect the interests of Russian citizens
Russian State Duma Deputy Irina Yarovaya Artyom Korotaev/TASS
Russian State Duma Deputy Irina Yarovaya
© Artyom Korotaev/TASS

MOSCOW, July 20 /TASS/. A package of anti-terror laws, which the Russian State Duma adopted at the fall of its spring session and which came into force on Wednesday, will defend Russia’s information sovereignty, Russian State Duma Deputy Irina Yarovaya has told TASS.

"Today it has become clear that information technologies are being monopolized. It is a dangerous trend, which makes it possible to shelter criminals and offers free access to information provided by our citizens to foreign subjects. This information is accumulated in foreign countries, which use it at their own discretion," Yarovaya said.

She clarified that in most cases it was only one foreign state - the United States.

"We passed a law, which defines nothing except for vesting the government with the task to form new independent Russian technologies to protect information sovereignty and the information provided by our citizens so that it is not available to foreign subjects," she explained. She added that security services should have access to information on crimes, which have been committed or are in the process of being planned, on court ruling.

Yarovaya said that the law should be implemented and that the government had two years to find effective technological solutions to protect the interests of Russian citizens.

"The most important thing for the citizens of Russia is that it protects them from international terrorism. "It’s the first time that we come across this definition - to protect citizens from financing international terrorism," Yarovaya stressed.

"There is an opportunity to save a human life prior to a terror attack. Reporting authentic and well-known information (about a crime, which is being planned) is not a choice between life and death but a choice between a murder and a chance to save a human life," the Russian deputy said adding there could hardly be a more important task than saving a human life.

"The task of a lawmaker is to stay one step ahead of oneself and to do everything possible to reduce the number of casualties rather than count victims," Yarovaya concluded.