- Apr 24, 2013
- 1,200
MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir Putin called for more steps to ensure Internet security in the country, warning that better protection of communications networks was vital to ensure Russia's sovereignty and thwarting leaks of confidential data.
Mr. Putin, speaking at a meeting of top security officials devoted to online security Wednesday, vowed to protect Internet freedom, but industry advocates feared more moves to tighten control over the Internet in Russia.
Stocks of local Internet companies fell.
A Kremlin spokesman told Interfax news agency earlier Wednesday that the Kremlin was concerned about Russia being cut off from the global Internet amid threats of new Western sanctions against Moscow for its role in the crisis in Ukraine.
While western officials have discussed limiting Russia's access to the international financial system, there has been no public suggestion in the West of sanctions affecting Internet access.
Mr. Putin called for better protection of the Russia's cyberspace from threats from abroad, saying cyberattacks against the country have risen several-fold this year.
"We're seeing that some countries are trying to use their dominant position in the global IT-space to achieve not only their economic goals, but also their political and military goals," Mr.Putin told the officials.
On Wednesday, presidential aide Igor Shchogolyev said "organizational and engineering measures" should be taken to safeguard Russia's cyberspace from external threats.
He didn't elaborate what such measures would entail. "We don't want to create a wall. We just don't want that this curtain, paper, informational, financial, or other, fall on us," he said after the meeting in comments to state television channel Rossiya 24.
Industry advocates say that Mr. Putin's new comments at the Security Council meeting could indicate further restrictions of the Internet.
The Kremlin has increased its scrutiny of the Internet over the past year, speedily adopting several laws that human rights activists said tightened control over it.
The laws included a requirement for foreign companies to keep Russian users' data on servers inside the country, and a law restricting blogging.
In April, Mr. Putin said the Internet got its start "as a Central Intelligence Agency project" and added that it is "still developing as such."
"No one is talking about unplugging Russia from the Internet globally just yet, but these comments could become a pressure point. Internet companies, especially foreign ones, will be worked with to ensure they keep their data about Russians in Russia," Karen Kazaryan, chief analyst at the Russian Association for Electronic Communications, said, speaking of the new requirement.
"These companies will be forced to rent out server space in Russia to comply with the law but it's unlikely at this point that they will build any servers here," he said.
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/articles/russia-needs-more-internet-security-says-putin-1412179448
