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LinkedIn-Russia: US Says Concerned Over Decision to Block Professional Networking Site (ndtv.com)
The US government said on Friday it was deeply concerned over Russia's decision to block public access to networking site LinkedIn, saying it created a precedent that could be used to justify blocking other sites operating in Russia. From a report: LinkedIn, which has its headquarters in the United States, is the first major social network to be blocked under a new law that requires firms holding Russian citizens' data to store it on servers on Russian soil. Internet services analysts say other tech firms, including Facebook and Twitter, could also find access blocked unless they move data onto Russian-based servers. Maria Olson, spokeswoman at the US Embassy in Moscow, said Washington urged the Russian authorities to restore access immediately to LinkedIn, and said the restrictions harmed competition and the Russian people. "The United States is deeply concerned by Russia's decision to block access to the website LinkedIn," Olson said in a statement sent to Reuters. "This decision is the first of its kind and sets a troubling precedent that could be used to justify shutting down any website that contains Russian user data."
The real issue here is censorship and control. Russia, like many countries, wants the ability to censor and control the Internet, and like all such countries, finds that they can't pass laws to do that because the Internet isn't always inside their borders. Therefore they want to force all companies accessible over the Internet within Russia to be physically present within Russia proper, so that if they decide they want to censor them, rifle through their stored data, or shut them down completely, they only have to send armed personnel to the physical location and make it so. It starts with sites like Linkedin. Once Linkedin caves in and complies, then precedent is set to force all other websites to do the same, or be prevented from being accessible in Russia. This naturally would have a chilling effect on freedom of expression, free speech, and the exchange of information between individuals. Remember that Russian media is State-controlled; they want the Internet (all of it, ideally) to be State-controlled, too. Does Russia have a right to do this? Yes; whether it's right or wrong is a matter of personal philosophy and personal opinion. In my opinion, it's wrong. You'd have to poll the Russian citizenry to know whether or not they think it's right or wrong -- but chances are your poll would be censored by the Russian government, and if you were in Russia at the time, you'd likely be detained because of it (how dare you question the government!).
Just to make myself 100% clear: I do not, and am not, and will not, 'demonize' Russian citizens; I do however very much question the actions of Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.