Russia can block LinkedIn for not localizing citizens’ personal data

MOSCOW, Oct 26 (PRIME) -- The Russian communications service has gone to court to block LinkedIn, a U.S. business and employment-oriented social network, for disobedience to localize personal data of Russians, and hearings will be held on November 10, the service’s press secretary Vadim Ampelonsky said late Tuesday.

The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media asked the network twice earlier in 2016 to notify the authority how it respected the law on personal data.

“We didn’t receive any clear response both times,” Ampelonsky said. The service filed a lawsuit to a Moscow court, which satisfied the claim.

“We exercised our right of going to court in a full compliance with the algorithm of interrelation with foreign companies that do not have representative offices in the Russian Federation. We disclosed the algorithm on our Web site as soon as the law on localization of personal data came into force (on September 1, 2015),” the press secretary said.

LinkedIn appealed against the court decision, and hearings were delayed until November 10.

The law obliges Internet companies to store personal data of citizens on the country’s territory. Web sites of perpetrators are included in a special register and can be later blocked.

LinkedIn had more than 400 million users worldwide as of the end of 2015, including 5 million in Russia.

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