Russia To Require Registration For Wi-Fi Use

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."

Comments

WiFi devices

[NoobixCube]

Looks like everyone who doesn't register their Nintendo DS is going to be a dangerous criminal! :O

Bluetooth too?

[LBt1st]

Doesn't Bluetooth use the same frequency range as Wifi?

Re:beaurocracy

[electrictroy]

Beauracracy (and the inherent corruption therein) is what brought-down the Roman Empire in the 300s and 400s A.D. Too many employees, gobbling-up too much money, and not enough taxes to support the weight.

Our modern European and American states are heading down the same path.

Re:I got one!

[compro01]

i believe the original was "in america, you can always find a party. in soviet russia, the party can always find you."