UPDATED 22:50 EDT / NOVEMBER 13 2016

NEWS

Russia to block LinkedIn for refusing to store user data inside the country

Social networking site LinkedIn.com is set to be blocked in Russia “within days” for refusing to store user’s data within the country.

The likely move comes after Russia’s government passed new laws that require any personal data submitted by Russian citizens to be stored in data centers within the country. Federal Law 526-FZ was adopted last year on grounds of “overall state security issues” and “increased instances of personal data leakage,” and came into force this September following a court ruling last week. Companies violating the terms of the new law will be placed on a blacklist by Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications watchdog agency, which would lead to access to their websites being blocked, as well as fines.

Roskomnadzor says that LinkedIn has flouted the new law by refusing to relocate the personal information of some 2.6 million Russian users into the country. If indeed Russia does block LinkedIn, it will be the first time the country has acted against a foreign company over its new law, Bloomberg reports. “The access will be shut within days,” a spokesperson for the agency told Bloomberg. “LinkedIn failed to provide documents on moving personal databases to Russia.”

Russia’s new law has come in for criticism by some rights groups, which say that keeping all personal data within Russia makes users more vulnerable to state surveillance and control. But the move isn’t without precedent. Germany has introduced similar laws of its own, and Microsoft, which is in the process of buying LinkedIn, was happy to set up a new data center there in order to comply.

What is unusual is why LinkedIn is being singled out even as bigger websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, have also failed to comply with the new regulations. It could be that Russia views LinkedIn as a softer target and that blocking it would serve as a warning to other sites without upsetting too many of its own citizens.

Whatever the case, LinkedIn has made clear it’s trying to fight Roskomnadzor’s decision. “LinkedIn’s vision is to create economic opportunity for the entire global workforce,” it said in a statement. “The Russian court’s decision has the potential to deny access to LinkedIn for the millions of members we have in Russia and the companies that use LinkedIn to grow their businesses. We have today again requested a meeting with Roskomnadzor to discuss their data localization request and we understand they are reviewing this proposal at the present time.”

Bloomberg adds that while LinkedIn has yet to comply, Internet companies including Google Inc., eBay Inc., Uber Technologies Inc. and Booking.com have all shifted personal data storage within Russia to adhere to the new rules.

Image credit: Minachan via pixabay.com

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