UPDATE: Just Russia party wants content storage law amended for operators

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MOSCOW, Jul 8 (PRIME) -- A Just Russia party is preparing amendments to a recently signed law obliging communications operators to store facts of users’ activities and the content for three years and six months respectively, Chairman Sergei Mironov said Friday.

“Certainly, security costs money, but our faction is preparing amendments so that companies would not bear such a burden and would not raise tariffs,” Mironov said.

“On the whole, we need the antiterrorist amendments as they ensure safety of citizens. However, the principle of ‘we wanted the best, you know the rest’ has transpired here.”

The period of data storage for mobile operators should be revised down “otherwise, its realization would be a burden for cellular companies, which would raise tariffs, and we would pay even more for our security,” the politician said.

President Vladimir Putin signed into law on Thursday bills obliging operators to keep records of subscribers’ talks and correspondence for three years, starting from July 20, currently stored for about six months; and their content – like voice calls and texts – for up to six months, starting from July 1, 2018.

Operators earlier estimated their total expenses on the creation of a storage system at 2.2 trillion rubles, which would bring losses to them and smaller tax revenues for the budget.

Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said earlier, as quoted by business daily Vedomosti, that the indignation of domestic mobile phone operators about the new law is excessive and groundless. They should cooperate with the government to neutralize all fears instead.

“Certainly, one may voice their worries, but there is no reason for such alarming statements,” Peskov said.

“The other thing is if this contact (with the government) does not abate concerns, then there is a reason to worry. I think that so far such an excessive reaction is groundless, because we have prerequisites for cooperation to determine how to apply the law so that it would not damage interests of operators. It’s a matter of work which, of course, requires a constructive approach both on the part of the government and operators.”

(64.0500 rubles – U.S. $1)

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