Russian legislators recently passed a law that bans that sale of smartphones, computers, and smart televisions if they do not come with pre-installed Russian "alternatives" to their normal software, BBC News reports.
Russia's lower house of parliament passed the legislation, which was co-authored by Oleg Nikolayev, on Thursday. Nikolayev and the bill's other supporters claim that this law will promote Russian technology and make it easier for Russians to use their devices. The law goes into effect in July 2020.
"When we buy complex electronic devices, they already have individual applications, mostly Western ones, pre-installed on them," Nikolayev told the Interfax news agency, according to the BBC.
"Naturally, when a person sees them ... they might think that there are no domestic alternatives available. And if, alongside pre-installed applications, we will also offer the Russian ones to users, then they will have a right to choose."
Critics have raised concerns about the potential for surveillance and the difficulty companies might have in adding Russian software. The Association of Trading Companies and Manufacturers of Electrical Household and Computer Equipment (RATEK) notes that installing Russian software won't be possible on certain devices, and that the companies that make them might abandon the Russian market because of the law.
The country recently introduced new internet regulations through Russia's "sovereign internet" law, which could allow government officials to restrict web traffic, which critics claim could lead to a Russian firewall similar to China's.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.