Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law limiting foreign ownership of news aggregators in Russia below 50%, meaning that only Russian citizens are now allowed to hold a controlling stake in them, according to the relevant document published on the official legal information portal
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st July, 2023) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law limiting foreign ownership of news aggregators in Russia below 50%, meaning that only Russian citizens are now allowed to hold a controlling stake in them, according to the relevant document published on the official legal information portal.
A news aggregator may be owned by a Russian citizen who does not have citizenship of another country, or a legal entity controlled by the Russian Federation.
The law is intended to "stave off threats to public order in Russia and thus create favorable conditions for the development of civil society."
If a news aggregator is found in breach of the law, it will be blocked in Russia until the requirements are met.
Owners of news aggregators in Russia will have to align their foundation documents with the new rules no later than six months from the day of its enactment.
The law also obligates government agencies to use only Russian hosting providers and provides for blacklisting websites that contain information on accessing sites blocked in Russia.
Putin also signed the legislation banning the use of foreign email accounts when registering on Russian websites. Starting December 1, Russian netizens will only be allowed to create accounts using either their Russian phone number, the Gosuslugi online public services portal, biometric data or email addresses with a Russian domain name.
