Experts think LinkedIn to respect Russian data law to resume work

MOSCOW, Nov 21 (PRIME) -- LinkedIn, a U.S. business and employment-oriented social network, will fulfil requirements of the Russian communications service and will get unblocked, a group of experts told PRIME late November 18.

“I think they’ll ultimately agree, and the ban would hardly be eternal. Moreover, it can be easily skirted,” Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, said.

“There is no target as is to block all. The communications service is well aware of it. It seems they try to adjust the mechanism to know whom to call when issues arise. The service uses such means as blocking as coercion to interact.”

The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media added LinkedIn to the register of forbidden information on November 17 and asked connection operators to block it, the first case of muting one of the biggest social networks in the country.

The service said LinkedIn had broken the law obliging Internet companies to store personal data of citizens on the country’s territory. Two courts sided with the authority.

LinkedIn said it is studying all possible ways to solve the dispute. It offered the service to meet and discuss transfer of personal data. The authority said it is ready for talks.

Denis Kuskov, general director of news agency TelecomDaily, said the service and the social network could settle the dispute.

Konstantin Ankilov, a partner at TMT Consulting, said LinkedIn should stick to the law. “The only way here is to store data of Russian users on the territory of Russia. The regulator would hardly agree on a compromise,” he said.

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