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This is not just a rogue request from some crazy official, but part of a larger plan to subdue and scare off foreign tech companies and replace them with 'local

This is not just a rogue request from some crazy official, but part of a larger plan to subdue and scare off foreign tech companies and replace them with 'local' tech, controlled by the state. These people are not playing games - this is ideological warfare in action. Tech companies should get political - that means get ready to temporarily loose certain markets in exchange for defending some core principles. They might refuse to accept it, but tech companies are currently the most powerful (dormant) political players in the world - this is why Putin et al want to either control or eliminate them. They should ignore the request, then be ready to close their offices and offer to relocate all employees to a foreign country. No Google, AppStore and Google Play means back to the 90s.

moolcool 10y ago
>This is not just a rogue request from some crazy official, but part of a larger plan to subdue and scare off foreign tech companies and replace them with 'local' tech, controlled by the state. Do you think EU's heavy handed regulation on web services is similar? I think you could make the case that it's also a form of protectionism.
- k-mcgrady 10y ago
  >> "heavy handed regulation on web services" Any you could point to? The only stuff I know of the EU regulating on is privacy/data protection (and tax but that's not a tech issue).
- matt4077 10y ago
  The comparison is obviously warranted. I'd argue that there is a difference b/c: - The EU has a history of relatively strict data privacy laws, whereas Russia has no credibility in regards to any civil rights. whatsoever. - The EU is a much larger market than Russia. It's therefore unlikely that any significant companies would choose to leave the EU market and create an opening for local companies. Only a few data centers may be needed in the EU, and they just don't employ people or pay taxes in relevant amount. - Storage-in-the-EU is not actually a requirement – companies may store data anywhere as long as they can provide for the required safeguards. - I'm not completely firm on the genesis of the new data protection regulation, but I believe it was actually a reaction to the EU's Court of Justice's rulings (the "right to be forgotten" and the Facebook case). I have a hard time believing Supreme Court justices ruling with protectionism in mind.
Lordarminius 10y ago
> This is not just a rogue request from some crazy official ... This post is a mirror image of the opinion espoused by pabloski, yet he got downvoted. It would appear some people want to live in an echochamber where only the point of view they espouse is published. I personally think both sides of any argument deserve an airing
- delegate 10y ago
  > I personally think both sides of any argument deserve an airing This is a subject where you just have to take sides. Because ultimately we're talking about a choice between: - a future society invented by idealistic tech visionaries (1) or - a future society maintained by secret police people (2) Both of these can be dystopian, but we know exactly that (2) can lead to a lot of human suffering. I believe that humanity's only way forward is by 'innovating' itself out of the environmental, social and geopolitical hole that it currently lies in. If we lose that chance, then (2) will come with their own solutions - and we really don't want to see them..
mjolk 10y ago
> No Google, AppStore and Google Play means back to the 90s. Not really because then Yandex App Market would just spring up overnight. There's technical know-how in Russia and the funding to make sure things get built to keep the money flowing domestically. (Amusingly, I'm posting from the back of a Yandex taxi)
rokosbasilisk 10y ago
If tech gets political, the rest of the world will ban them far faster. The only reason american tech got so far was by not being political. Once the rest of the world found out the depth of nsa access, they freaked out. Dont underestimate the desire for national sovereignty, the anti globalist reaction worldwide is strong proof.
gspetr 10y ago
> No Google, AppStore and Google Play means back to the 90s. You severely overestimate how dependent your average Russian is on these. Forget Google, etc. According to the most authoritative public opinion pollster, 58% of Russians would not mind the Internet shut down in case of a national threat or mass protests (I.e. what happened in Turkey last year): http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2648228 http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2648228 > They should ignore the request, then be ready to close their offices and offer to relocate all employees to a foreign country. They already closed almost everything in Russia. > Tech companies should get political - that means get ready to temporarily loose certain markets in exchange for defending some core principles. Why then have they been bending over backwards for the Chinese government, acquiescing to it's every whim, to have a piece of that sweet large market?

moolcool 10y ago

>This is not just a rogue request from some crazy official, but part of a larger plan to subdue and scare off foreign tech companies and replace them with 'local' tech, controlled by the state. Do you think EU's heavy handed regulation on web services is similar? I think you could make the case that it's also a form of protectionism.

k-mcgrady 10y ago
>> "heavy handed regulation on web services" Any you could point to? The only stuff I know of the EU regulating on is privacy/data protection (and tax but that's not a tech issue).
matt4077 10y ago
The comparison is obviously warranted. I'd argue that there is a difference b/c: - The EU has a history of relatively strict data privacy laws, whereas Russia has no credibility in regards to any civil rights. whatsoever. - The EU is a much larger market than Russia. It's therefore unlikely that any significant companies would choose to leave the EU market and create an opening for local companies. Only a few data centers may be needed in the EU, and they just don't employ people or pay taxes in relevant amount. - Storage-in-the-EU is not actually a requirement – companies may store data anywhere as long as they can provide for the required safeguards. - I'm not completely firm on the genesis of the new data protection regulation, but I believe it was actually a reaction to the EU's Court of Justice's rulings (the "right to be forgotten" and the Facebook case). I have a hard time believing Supreme Court justices ruling with protectionism in mind.

Lordarminius 10y ago

> This is not just a rogue request from some crazy official ... This post is a mirror image of the opinion espoused by pabloski, yet he got downvoted. It would appear some people want to live in an echochamber where only the point of view they espouse is published. I personally think both sides of any argument deserve an airing

delegate 10y ago
> I personally think both sides of any argument deserve an airing This is a subject where you just have to take sides. Because ultimately we're talking about a choice between: - a future society invented by idealistic tech visionaries (1) or - a future society maintained by secret police people (2) Both of these can be dystopian, but we know exactly that (2) can lead to a lot of human suffering. I believe that humanity's only way forward is by 'innovating' itself out of the environmental, social and geopolitical hole that it currently lies in. If we lose that chance, then (2) will come with their own solutions - and we really don't want to see them..

mjolk 10y ago

> No Google, AppStore and Google Play means back to the 90s. Not really because then Yandex App Market would just spring up overnight. There's technical know-how in Russia and the funding to make sure things get built to keep the money flowing domestically. (Amusingly, I'm posting from the back of a Yandex taxi)

rokosbasilisk 10y ago

If tech gets political, the rest of the world will ban them far faster. The only reason american tech got so far was by not being political. Once the rest of the world found out the depth of nsa access, they freaked out. Dont underestimate the desire for national sovereignty, the anti globalist reaction worldwide is strong proof.

gspetr 10y ago

> No Google, AppStore and Google Play means back to the 90s. You severely overestimate how dependent your average Russian is on these. Forget Google, etc. According to the most authoritative public opinion pollster, 58% of Russians would not mind the Internet shut down in case of a national threat or mass protests (I.e. what happened in Turkey last year): http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2648228 http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2648228 > They should ignore the request, then be ready to close their offices and offer to relocate all employees to a foreign country. They already closed almost everything in Russia. > Tech companies should get political - that means get ready to temporarily loose certain markets in exchange for defending some core principles. Why then have they been bending over backwards for the Chinese government, acquiescing to it's every whim, to have a piece of that sweet large market?