Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has instructed the Communication Ministry and Industry and Trade Ministry to prepare terms of reference for national companies to produce equipment for data storage on the territory of the country.
“This should be done quickly. We should load our enterprises, especially because it is a good and guaranteed order (for them from the government – TASS),” he said when meeting members of the cabinet.
According to Communication Minister Nikolay Nikiforov in most of the cases such equipment is not made in Russia but the two ministries are working on the terms of reference for its domestic production.
Nikiforov also said that his ministry may introduce amendments to the anti-terror law package to the State Duma, lower house of parliament, during an autumn session.
“Some issues from the perspective of law enforcement are still unsolved. If you need additional amendments, they will be prepared and submitted to the government and to the State Duma in the autumn session. But we don’t share the view of those who make different emotional statements without examining the issue in detail,” the minister said.
According to him, the consequences of data storage on the territory of Russia will be obvious by 2018.
“We do not see any risk of price hikes in 2016,” the minister said.
Nikiforov said that now the two ministries are busy with a detailed study of what data will be stored and what equipment will be used.
“We will come up with the best option,” the official noted.
Nikiforov said that due to high competition on the national telecommunication market prices for mobile communications in Russia are among the lowest in the world.
“We intend to maintain this leadership,” he added.
Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin signed the package of anti-terror laws, that was submitted by State Duma deputy Irina Yarovaya and Senator Viktor Ozerov.
From July 1, 2018, the new law obliges telecommunications operators to store data about reception, transmission, delivery and processing of voice and text messages, images, sounds and video for three years. The “heaviest” files – the content of messages, images, sounds and video – operators must store for six months. They are obliged to provide all this information on-demand to security services.
In addition to telecommunication operators the law also obliges Internet companies to store certain data. In particular, they will be required to store information about data transmission facts and data about users for one year.