The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, passed on Thursday a law prohibiting the sale of electronic equipment, such as smartphones and computers, without Russian software prescribed by the government
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2019) The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, passed on Thursday a law prohibiting the sale of electronic equipment, such as smartphones and computers, without Russian software prescribed by the government.Starting from July 1, 2020, the law initiated by three Russian parliament members in July will prevent the selling of certain types of "technically sophisticated products" without preinstalling Russian software in the country. These types of products, as well as the software that will be used, will be defined by the government. According to the lawmakers, the list of such electronic equipment should include smartphones, computers and smart TVs.
In addition, the law is to protect the interests of Russian businesses, which will decrease the number of abuses by large foreign companies operating in the information technology field.
In July, the same three lawmakers also presented another bill introducing from January 1, 2021, the administrative liability for violating the ban on selling electronic products without Russian software. In particular, they proposed the imposition of a fine from 50,000 to 200,000 rubles ($784 to $3,138) and from 30,000 to 50,000 rubles on companies and its officials that break the law, respectively. However, the bill did not pass even the first reading.
