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Russia To Require Registration For Wi-Fi Use

Posted by timothy on from the Rossvyazokhrankultura-is-the-short-version dept.

Oleg.salenko points out a ComputerWorld story with some bad news for Russia's wireless users, which starts out "Business travelers to Russia might want to keep their laptops and iPhones well-concealed — not from muggers, necessarily, but from the country's recently formed regulatory super-agency, Rossvyazokhrankultura (short for the Russian Mass Media, Communications and Cultural Protection Service)... Rossvyazokhrankultura's interpretation of current law holds that users must register any electronics that use the frequency involved in Wi-Fi communications, said Vladimir Karpov, the deputy director of the agency's communications monitoring division, according to an English commentary provided by website The Other Russia." It gets worse: "Aside from public hotspots, the registration requirement also applies to home networks, laptops, smart phones and Wi-Fi-enabled PDAs, Karpov reportedly said. Registration only permits use by the owner. Registration for personal devices is said to take 10 days, but registering a hotspot — including a home network — is more complicated, involving a set of documents and technological certifications akin to putting in a cell tower."

12 of 155 comments (clear)

  1. And... by CSMatt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Cue the Soviet Russia jokes in 3,2,1...

    1. Re:And... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      In Soviet Russia, joke cues you in 1, 2, 3...

  2. I got one! by PhearoX · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, WiFi registers you!

  3. Re:Yes, but... by brunokummel · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, but while I'm in Russia can I have sex with an underage prostitute?

    That depends if she works for the government, if so, the Soviet Russia will have sex with you .

    --
    What is best in life? To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you and to hear the lamentations of their women.
  4. They're afraid by zymano · · Score: 4, Funny

    Afraid that someone in Russia might use the internet for legitimate reasons instead of for crime.

  5. I'm so sorry for this by Freaky+Spook · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Soviet Russia wifi-register.su

  6. There's a problem when ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's a problem when a word like Rossvyazokhrankultura is considered *short* for something. What happened to NAMBLA?

    1. Re:There's a problem when ... by Petersson · · Score: 3, Funny

      There's a problem when a word like Rossvyazokhrankultura is considered *short* for something

      It is common Russian way to create shorts. It's easier to say it when you're drunk (also common in Russia) then to spell something in Russian alphabet. Just like 'Gosgortechnadzor' or 'Khosrasschiot'.

      --
      I'm not insane. My mother had me tested.
  7. Re:How long before.. by TubeSteak · · Score: 5, Funny

    How long before some idiot tells us this is no different from what we have in the US? This is no different from what we have in the U.S.

    /It took one hour
    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  8. Re:Wait, what? by calebt3 · · Score: 5, Funny

    My flashlight doesn't have it. Yet. Gimme a few hours.

  9. Re:beaurocracy by upside · · Score: 3, Funny

    beaurocracy - rule by the beautiful?

    Bureaucracy

    --
    I'm sorry if I haven't offended anyone
  10. Re:Wait, what? by calebt3 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Have it check RSS feeds and blink them at me in Morse Code.