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The new law to force Google and Apple to share data with Russia

The Apple and Google owns and control very popular and useful applications in Russia. Apple’s or Google’s software is installed almost on each second device in Russian internal market. Could you image if Apple’s or Google’s software would be outlawed in Russia? The new law entails such consequence. So would Apple and Google consider to stay in Russian market or abide the new law? The answer is “it’s complicated”.

After the draft law passed all three reading in Russian state duma representatives from the Russian business’ side have asked the Russian president Vladimir Putin to decline the draft or in other words to refrain from signing. It did not help. The minister of trade does not believe the new law would negatively affect the Russian market and consumers. The minister believes the law would not cause the rise of prices on devices with android or IOS.

The official ministry’s position is that the law would make access to Russian customer same equal for Russian and foreign software developers. Therefore if everything is organised competently, the prices would not go up, said minister of trade. The minister has also underlined that in Russia only foreign application are installed on devices falling under the new law.

The official position of Kremlin states that the adoption of law is caused by the antitrust logic rather than intention to isolate itself. The press secretary of Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated that the Russia never fenced itself off the anyone in the internet or wherever else. So the president has signed the law.

Someone call this law as anti-apple and anti-google law, because devices with Russian applications is not so popular. According to different business media there was not any company in Russia who has lobbied this law. It is not the Yandex’s, Mail’s or Rosstech’s law. They could have interest because they also produce devices with their own applications. But this law is of particular state’s interests.

Under the law the government has authority to form the list of software to be available for installation on devices. So if the companies, like Apple or Google wish to enter the whitelist, they should accept the conditions of entry. One of such condition could be the sharing of data received or collected through the relevant applications. How it would work nobody has any idea.

So you know what the business thinks on this law, what the business media thinks on this law, now you can know what the law is about. Under this law there must be guarantee that the “customer is able to use certain technically complex devices with preset Russian software for computers”. Whether such wording excludes opportunity to duplicate the set of application the law reads nothing.

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