UPDATE 2: LinkedIn hopes to reappear in Russia after blocking

(Adds comments from authority in paragraphs 7–8)

MOSCOW, Nov 18 (PRIME) -- LinkedIn, a U.S. business and employment-oriented social network, expects to become available again in Russia, it said on Friday in a letter addressed to local users.

“Most of our services can be unavailable on the territory of the Russian Federation during a certain period of time,” the network said.

The local communications service added the resource to the register of forbidden information on Thursday 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 insists on respecting the law and is studying all possible ways to solve the dispute. It offered the service to meet and discuss transfer of personal data.

The network said Russians can use the resource outside the country, and accounts will be closed only upon receipt of a corresponding request.

Vadim Ampelonsky, press secretary for the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, said later on Friday the authority is ready to meet with LinkedIn.

“We’re prepared to hold a meeting if entities endorsing the event won’t mind,” Ampelonsky said.

Maria Olson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in Russia, said the U.S. is deeply worried by the decision, which could create a precedent that would be used to justify closure of any Web site with data of Russians.

The U.S. calls on Russia to restore access to the network immediately and study impacts of the data localization law on the local IT industry. Companies should be free to choose the places, where to store information, Olson said.

The embassy will continue cooperating with LinkedIn and other U.S. companies, which work under these anti-competitive and counterproductive market restrictions, imposed by the government to the detriment of the people, she said.

End