Page 107 - RusRPTMar19

Kovalev added. Analysts have pointed to the rising price in Russian grain as a problem for Russia and has created an opportunity for US grain producers to win back some of their lost market share.
9.1.7 TMT sector news
Internet providers cautious about “sovereign Runet” law. The Duma is considering a bill, known as the “sovereign Runet” law, that aims to protect Russia from cyberattacks by creating redundant internet infrastructure. Internet providers say they support the bill’s goals, but have concerns about the implementation.
This bill would change the way the internet works — if the Russian government can pull it off. It would install defences against cyberattacks, duplicate the infrastructure of the worldwide web in Russia, and allow the Russian government to block sites more easily. Although the political will to accomplish these aims certainly exists, there are still problems with this particular bill. The draft is vague about the technical aspects of the plan (supposedly for security reasons), but it is unclear if the bills’ authors understand how the internet actually works. And, despite bill sponsor Senator Klishas’s claims that it is already included in the government’s budget (which would be a strong signal of support from high up), the government would need to come up with more than 20bn rubles ($300mn) if it is passed.
· The bill was proposed by Senators Andrei Klishas and Lyudmila Bokova and Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoy in December 2018.
· Internet providers in the Information Security working group believe that the problem should be studied more carefully. The bill is vague about exactly how it will be implemented, and the working group believes more work needs to be done on the technical details.
· The bill would allow the government to keep a copy of the internet, so that service could continue for Russian citizens even if the county is under
107 RUSSIA Country Report March 2019 www.intellinews.com