Back in August last year, the Russian Federation opened a case against WhatsApp for violating its personal data law. According to the country, then, the social network services refused to localize the data of Russian users and were subsequently fined a total sum of 4 million rubles.
However, as we discovered now, it appeared that another proceeding has been opened against meta’s WhatsApp messenger. TechGenyz learned that in a report from the 422nd world judicial district of Moscow, the social network service has breached an administrative offense relating to Russian personal data law.
According to the report, WhatsApp messenger has been charged for refusal to localize the personal data of Russian users on the territory of the Russian Federation and would be likely to be fined a total of 18 million rubles this time around, as against the earlier 4 million rubles.
By Russian Federation Personal Data Law all Russian and foreign companies are compelled to store personal information of Russians only on the territory of the Russian Federation. The requirement for localization applies to foreign companies that do not have a physical presence in Russia but carry out activities on Russian territory which the same applies to WhatsApp messenger here.
Recall that in July, last year, similar cases happened where the federation fined Google 3 million roubles for violating personal data law. Then, Google was fined for that offense at Moscow’s Tagansky District Court.
Accordingly, the penalty comes amid a broader standoff between Russia and Google with Moscow routinely fining social media behemoths for failing to remove prohibited content and attempting to compel foreign tech firms to open offices in Russia.
Consequently, given the various instances, it is projected that the social network services will surely be fined. However, the fine may be 18 million rubles or less than that as the proceeding is still ongoing. Thus, Stay connected with TechGenyz as we bring you the latest updates in the Tech world.
