Russia: Introduction of draft law including local operations requirement

The draft law on the activities of foreign persons on the Internet on the territory of the Russian Federation was introduced into the lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma. The law requires certain information providers to open local offices that process inquiries, implement the rulings of courts and state bodies, represent the interests of the foreign entity in Russian courts and also ensure the blocking of restricted content. For an information provider to fall under the new law it has to have a daily Russian audience of more than 500'000 daily users and meet one of the following conditions: (1) Providing information in the Russian language or language of a Republic within the Russian Federation. (2) Advertising to consumers located in Russia. (3) Processing information of users located in Russia. (4) Receiving money from Russian consumers or entities. Furthermore, the provider has to register an account with the Russian telecoms supervisory body and provide an electronic form for inquiries of Russian citizens and organizations. A provider who fails to comply with these requirements may be restricted from access to Russian users including the blocking of commercial transactions, advertising display or access to the information resource.