Russia has introduced new legislation stipulating that all smartphones, computers and smart TVs sold in the market must be sold with pre-installed locally developed software.
The law was adopted by the State Duma - Russia’s lower house of Parliament – on 21st November after three revisions, and has now been signed by President Vladimir Putin. It grants the government the final say over both the types of devices that must include domestic software, and the applications that must be pre-installed.
Russian companies with IT offerings will be granted a boost by the law as it aims to increase the adoption of local technology. One of the bill’s co-authors, Oleg Nikolayev, said last month that it would raise awareness of domestically-developed software and allow Russians to choose – particularly as much of the population is unaware that there are local alternatives to western apps.
The law is due to come into effect on 1st July 2020, and is not without its controversies. According to Reuters, a number of electronics retailers have hit out against the legislation, noting that they were not consulted over the legal changes.
