Russia
Putin wants to replace Wikipedia in Russia
After closing off the Russian internet, Putin wants to ensure there are Russian-based alternatives in the country.
Now even the Census Bureau wants to tackle online “misinformation”
The Bureau is teaming up with Facebook, Google, and Twitter and working with them directly.
Russian court orders censorship of two LGBT network websites
The St Petersburg Court ordered the blocking two popular LGBT networking sites and said they were promoting “anti-family values.”
Yandex Zen sets its sights on being a YouTube competitor
The Yandex video service lets bloggers upload videos on Yandex Zen that must be under 15 minutes long, which then get recommended based on established user preferences.
Over 15,000 unsecured private webcams are easily visible online
When it comes to P2P devices, most of them are IoT and web cameras that are always connected to the manufacturer’s server. The problem is, this is only as secure as the manufacturer makes it, and not all of them work under the same standards.
Russia considers harsher fines for noncompliance with data protection laws
Last week, the Russian Parliament, the State Duma, adopted a bill in the first reading on GDPR-esque fines for violation of a personal data residency law. The fines under the new bill would amount to a max of $280,000.
Russia looks to block Mailbox.org and other communications providers
Germany and America-based companies behind these services – Heinlein Support and SCRYPTmail – previously failed to register with the authorities as required by Russian law.
Russia considers complete ban of Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
The signs are pointing in the direction of the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube being completely blocked in Russia by early 2021.
Elizabeth Warren says Apple’s App Store has “too much power”
The jury’s still out on whether Warren has a viable plan, and how successful it might be, or if the whole thing is just a case of campaign rhetoric.
The Internet Archive Risks Being Blocked in Russia Over Copyright Suits
The Moscow City Court recently ruled in favor of those alleging an infringement, ordering the Internet Archive to stop allowing access to the audiobooks in question.
Russian couple fear losing baby to authorities after their baby appeared in a protest video on YouTube
A Russian couple were warned by their government that their children were going to be taken into care after a video footage of their children amidst a protest was posted online. This incident happens to be a part of the Russian government’s backlash to the on-going protests. Dmitry and Olga Pro
Russia thinks labeling legal streaming sites in search engines will reduce piracy
It’s not quite clear how this idea would work to reduce piracy.