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State Duma adopts bill on foreign IT-giants activities in Russia in 1st reading

The bill states that from January 1, 2022, owners of large foreign Internet resources should create branches or open representative offices in the Russian Federation

© Russian State Duma Photo Service/TASS

MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, has adopted the bill regulating the activities of big foreign internet companies in Russia in the first reading.

The bill submitted to the State Duma states that from January 1, 2022, owners of large foreign Internet resources with a daily audience of over 500,000 Russian users should create branches in the Russian Federation, open representative offices or establish Russian legal entities that must fully represent the interests of parent companies.

The refusal to open a branch in Russia may entail a ban on the distribution of advertising on the Internet resource and about this resource itself, a ban on making payments to it, as well as a ban on the collection and cross-border transfer of personal data.

The new law also implies that users of the relevant Internet platforms should be informed about the violation of the Russian legislation.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin instructed his administration and the government to submit proposals on additional requirements for foreign tech companies operating in the Internet, including the opening of their representative offices in Russia, by August 1.

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