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Russia’s IT branches law to be important tool for Foreign Affairs Ministry — spokesperson

An important step has been taken towards establishing clear rules for regulating the Internet space, Maria Zakharova noted

MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. The law on the regulation of foreign IT giants, adopted by the Russian State Duma, will become an effective tool for the Russian Foreign Ministry when working in the field of the Internet space, official spokesperson of the ministry Maria Zakharova wrote in her Telegram channel on Thursday.

"An important step has been taken towards establishing clear rules for regulating the Internet space, designed to rule out the situation when digital companies operating in the Russian market, making money from Russian citizens, will be able to violate their rights and interests with impunity and ignore our laws," she said, adding that now there will be effective tools for full-fledged work in this direction.

The diplomat noted that the development or application of similar laws is carried out in a number of countries, including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey. "The EU, as a union, is concerned with this issue at the legislative level," Zakharova added.

The bill was submitted to the State Duma on May 21. According to it, large foreign IT companies are obliged to open branches or representative offices in Russia starting from January 1, 2022. The initiative also introduces a set of measures to force IT companies to comply with Russian legislation.

The preliminary list of Internet resources, which may be obliged to open branches or representative offices in Russia, includes 20 platforms - for example, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, and other industry leaders.

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