The Spring package for Russia

Today the state Duma adopted the so-called "Spring package". The Internet industry will directly affect two articles of the law, according to which companies and operators must keep all the data about calls and messages of the Russians and decode of correspondence, encrypted Internet services. Life tried to figure out what will happen with IT and business users on.

The vanishing act

From the outset, the bill was accompanied by strange events. On Wednesday, the draft law in the latest edition (second reading) was removed from the automated system of ensuring legislative activity (the GD website, which publishes all documents). Consideration of the "Spring package", which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 22, was postponed to Friday.

During the last session of the state Duma on 24 June had to take the whole "anti-terrorism" package in the second and third readings. Thus, according to the correspondent of the TV channel life, the journalists present at the meeting, was somehow distributed the text of the bill in the old version. For example, it was stated that the organizers of information dissemination in the Internet must keep the facts about receiving and transmitting messages to users within three years, whereas on the website it was posted a document where this measure reduced to one year.

In the end about 16 hours on the website database of bills appeared in the final version adopted by the state Duma of the law, which will be forwarded to the Federation Council.

Thus, the state Duma adopted amendments to the Internet industry, in the following form:

— The Internet company (or, under the law, the organizers of information dissemination on the Internet) will hold information about the facts of making calls and sending texts, videos and other content of Russians in the course of the year. Will also store information about those users. All data must be located on the territory of Russia. The content of messages — up to six months. The exact amount and term will be determined by the government.

— Operators have to store data about the facts of reception and transmission of messages and content for three years. Their very content — up to six months. There is also specific rules establish by the government.

— Internet services dealing with encryption of transmitted user information (e.g. WhatsApp or Telegram), should provide, upon request of state agencies the proper tools to decode the correspondence of the users.

These rules come into force from 1 July 2018.