Engadget is reporting that Russian officials have started “administrative proceedings” against Twitter and Facebook after the American-owned companies refused to meet demands that Russian citizens’ data be stored within the country’s borders.
Sources say ‘Roskomnadzor’ – Russia’s federal body that plays a role similar to the FCC – formally sent a letter to both companies on December 17th, telling them they had just one month to fully comply or provide a “legally valid” answer as to why they had not.
According to Engadget, as of January 22nd, neither company had satisfactorily complied with Roskomnadzor’s orders.
At present, the exact fate of these companies remains unclear, however, officials at Roskomnadzor have hinted at hefty fines. What’s more, it’s likely that even stiffer penalties await the tech giants if they continue to defy the agency’s requests.
In April of 2018, Roskomnadzor famously blocked its citizens from accessing Telegram – a popular messaging app bolstered by end-to-end encryption – once it was clear that owners wouldn’t comply with the agency’s demands.
However, given the massive financial interests of both Facebook and Twitter, it’ll be interesting to see what becomes of this situation.