UPDATE3: Watchdog may block Facebook in Russia over personal data storage

(Adds comments by watchdog in paragraphs 12–14)

MOSCOW, Sep 26 (PRIME) -- Social network Facebook will be blocked in Russia despite a big number of users if it does not comply with requirements of the law on the storage of personal data on the Russian territory, Alexander Zharov, head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media , told reporters Tuesday.

“The law is obligatory for everyone, that’s why there are no doubts – we will either get the law to be fulfilled or the company will cease its operations on the territory of Russia, how, unfortunately, it happened with LinkedIn. There are no exceptions here,” Zharov said.

“We realize quite well that Facebook has a significant number of users on the Russian territory, on the one hand. On the other hand, we understand that this is not a unique service, there are other social networks. That’s why we will work to ensure that Facebook complies with the 242nd law,” he said.

Facebook continues to tell the watchdog that it is considering how to comply with the law, Zharov said. “We have not received official letters from them. We do not plan to probe Facebook until the end of 2017, but we will think in 2018,” he said.

The Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Facebook is a commercial company, which should earn money in compliance with the Russian legislation.

“This is a commercial company, which earns money and which should do it in compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. There is legislation that should be complied with,” Peskov said.

He also said the Kremlin believes it is not correct to estimate a benefit or harm from Facebook’s operations in Russia.

“It would not be correct… to make some appraisal of work, although quite a big, but a separately taken company,” he said.

Zharov also said that microblog network Twitter has promised to transfer storage of data of Russian users to the Russian territory in 2018.

“Twitter has outlined a timeline for full localization of bases with users’ data on the territory of Russia in an official letter – this is 2018, I do not remember the month now,” he said.

“…since the company wrote an official letter to us, we will not check it until this moment. And after this moment we will immediately probe it,” he added.

Zharov also said that the service can unblock Blackberry Messenger and Line messengers in Russia.

“We had colleagues from Line – this is a Japanese messenger that asked us to send the requirements once again. We did it. There are grounds to believe that they will be unblocked in the near future, because, as I understand from the results of talks, they want to comply with this law,” Zharov said.

BlackBerry representatives are expected to visit Russia to discuss the issue with the watchdog in October. “I hope a lot for a positive result,” he said.

The law on personal data, in force since September 1, 2015, obliges companies to store personal data of Russians in the country. Upon a court decision, Web sites of perpetrators are added to a special register and blocked upon a refusal to mend breaches.

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