Major VPN-provider to leave Russia as a result of new anti-terror law
American VPN provider, Private Internet Access (PIA), which allows its users to visit web pages anonymously and allows them access to blocked websites, has announced its withdrawal from the Russian market. This is a result of the adoption of the “Yarovaya’s Package” anti-terrorism laws.
“The Russian government has adopted new laws that require providers to register all Russian Internet traffic and to store it for up to a year. We believe that because of these laws, our Russian servers were seized by authorities without any notification and these actions have bypassed the appropriate procedures,” a statement posted on PIA’s website read.
PIA said that they decided to close its doors in Russia as soon as they heard about the adoption of the laws.
These laws were proposed by deputy Irina Yarovaya and Senator Viktor Ozerov. They were signed off by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 7th of July and have since been criticized by human rights activists and business. “Yarovaya’s Package”, among other things, suggests that operators, messengers and mobile networks will have to store information about the telephone conversations and the text correspondence of users. Cellular operators have estimated that the cost of implementing these laws will be several trillion rubles.