According to the Moscow Times, Russia has notified top search engines and social media sites including Google, Twitter and Facebook that they need to register as ‘organizers of information distribution.’ Many expect that this is a move that will soon lead to censorship on these sites within Russia.
The companies notified will have until the end of the year to decide whether or not they will comply with the demands of the Russian government. If they don’t, they will face sanctions for non-compliance. The specifics of the sanctions have not been released but it will likely include financial fines and possibly other limitations on how they can do business in the country.
Most people believe that if the internet companies comply with the rules, they will end up functioning largely as they do in China, where there are severe restrictions on what content can and can’t be shown to people in the country.
None of the companies have provided any indication on whether or not they will comply with the demands at this point. What we can be sure of, however, is that as marketers it is going to be getting more difficult to do business with people within Russia. This may serve as a warning to anyone working in that region. Not that you necessarily have to stop all business there, but just be very aware of what is going on and how it could impact your marketing efforts.
These types of things can change overnight, so if you rely on Russia for a large percentage of your income, you may want to rethink your strategy.
You can read the full news from The Moscow Times HERE.
