Sat 28 January 2023:
Russian media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has blocked the websites of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the State Department’s national security rewards program, according to the Roskomsvoboda project.
Roskomnadzor added the addresses of the relevant websites to the list of blocked Internet resources without specifying on whose request it was made.
The regulator noted that the inclusion of a website in the register does not amount to its complete ban, as access may be limited to a specific page of the website.
There was no immediate comment from Washington, but earlier this month the intelligence service posted a message on Facebook saying Russia’s military mobilization could radically change the lives of Russians and asked them to contact FBI agents as “it is in your power to change this.” The FBI regularly launches advertising campaigns on social networks in different languages, including Russian.
Russian Watchdog To Ban Some Organizations From Transferring Payment Info On Telegram
Some organizations in Russia will no longer be able to transfer personal and payment data on Telegram starting March 1 as the app is listed as a “foreign messenger” in the country, Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor told Sputnik.
“Given the main criteria for recognizing a computer program as a foreign messenger … a number of organizations in Russia will be banned from using such messengers to transfer payment documents and personal data when providing services,” the watchdog said in a statement.
Telegram was included in the list of foreign entities operating in the internet on the territory of Russia on November 22, 2021. The list also includes social networks Twitter, TikTok, Likee and Discord, as well as Zoom video conferencing service, Viber messenger, Spotify audio streaming service, Twitch streaming service and YouTube video hosting.
A number of Russian banks have flagged plans to switch to providing banking services on Telegram after their official apps were taken down from App Store and Google Play following the Western sanctions against Russia in response to the country’s special military operation in Ukraine.
In late December 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that restricts the use of “foreign messengers” for providing government services, as well as selling goods and services by banks and state-owned companies. Such messaging apps will be barred from transferring payment documents, personal data of Russian citizens, information on bank transfers and accounts. It will also be forbidden to connect money transfer systems to foreign messengers.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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