Russia: Roskomandzor’s Decision to Restrict Access to Zello a “Warning Sign” for Companies | commentary by Pavel Sadovsky and Maria Demina, DataGuidance
The Federal Service for the Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Communications (‘Roskomnadzor’) announced, on 10 April 2017, that pursuant to its decision of 6 April 2017 No. 8 (‘the Decision’), it had ordered telecommunications operators to restrict access to Zello Inc.’s services within Russia after the company failed to inform the Roskomnadzor of the storage on its servers of all electronic messages sent using Zello’s website and apps. According to Federal Law of 27 July 2006 No. 149-FZ on Information, Information Technologies and Protection of Information, as amended (‘the Law’), ‘information distributors’ are obliged to notify the Roskomnadzor of their compliance with localisation and retention obligations under the Law.