Putin’s ‘Big Brother’ Surveillance Law Criticized by Snowden

[uhnope]

Source: Bloomberg News

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an anti-terror law criticized for eroding civil-liberties as well as the coffers of telephone carriers, who may have to spend an estimated $30 billion plus to implement it. The law compels Russia’s phone companies to keep recordings of users’ calls and internet activity for six months. The government will establish the precise requirements of the law, according to the Kremlin website.

Putin, facing parliamentary elections in September as the nation endures the longest recession in two decades, has been increasingly cracking down on dissent. This latest action, dubbed the Big Brother law, sparked broad criticism, including from former security contractor Edward Snowden, who’s received asylum in Russia after leaking U.S. secrets.

"Signing the Big Brother law must be condemned," Snowden said on his Twitter account. "Beyond political and constitution consequences, it is also a $33 billion tax on Russia’s internet." Social media played a major role in the organization of mass protests following accusations of fraud in 2011 elections, the biggest unrest since the Russian leader came to power more than 16 years ago.

“Putting aside the ethics, morale and philosophy of these amendments, operators will need to make huge investments into new infrastructure which does not exist at the moment,” Egor Fedorov, an analyst of ING Bank, said in a note. MegaFon PJSC’s estimates of the cost of buying equipment and building data centers amounts to half of its current market value, he said.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-07/putin-s-anti-terror-law-sends-telecommunications-companies-lower

[Seedersandleechers]

1. Sounds kind of

suicidal to me.

[Night Watchman]

8. Yeah

Snowden thinks he's too high-profile to be gotten rid of, but there are several dead Russians who thought the same thing.

[laserhaas]

2. Biting the hand that is feeding and protecting

Not prudent

U.S. would arrest...but Putin dont need no stinkin prison

[JackRiddler]

4. Doing the right thing... very rare.

He should be admired for it.

[laserhaas]

5. Having battled oligarchs, straight on, for a decade plus

I know about doing the right thing

And about trying to do too many right things

He serves no good purpose by taking shelter from a tyrant and then speaking out against that tyrant incrementally

If he wants to make a statement he can walk out of the protection

But he shouldn't be so full of hubris to think that Putin will tolerate ( and not scheme to quash) his pet

I didn't say he was wrong for what he did

said it wasnt prudent...

[JackRiddler]

7. Yeah yeah, he should turn himself over for disappearance.

I like him where he is. He didn't choose it, they stopped him and there he is.

The "tyrants" are in charge in most countries.

[treestar]

3. He must be speaking fluent Russian by now

and is he realizing he went to a land less free for asylum?

[NWCorona]

6. I alway thought that it was humorous that he criticized America from Russia

[Sunlei]

9. chinas citizens cut off from direct global communication when Gov. took over Formosa, now Russia

sends their citizens down the same path.

No more free press, government owns all medias, government filters all web activity and keeps it in country. No online games, twitter, websites, youtube global. Only Russian Gov. monitored internet trolls and media allowed.


I'll always miss my Formosa Friends, I know you're 'working' from prisons. Love, Merry of Rallos Zek