The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Communications of the Russian Federation announced the impossibility of transferring personal data of Russians to technology companies through software pre-installed on computers and gadgets.
They explained that standard versions of Russian applications that meet the requirements of software stores in terms of security and protection of personal data are loaded onto devices manufactured since April 1 and intended for sale in the Russian Federation.
“The Russian Ministry of Digital Science clarifies that the equipment (smartphones, tablets, Smart TV) manufactured after April 1, 2021 is pre-installed with standard versions of applications that tens of millions of Russians are already using,” the department said.
It is noted that when installing these applications, the user is always asked to familiarize himself with the software use agreement, which spells out all the nuances, including those related to the transfer of data and the distribution of advertising.
“It is important that these applications transmit exclusively technical impersonal user data to external services, which are necessary for targeting advertisements,” the Ministry said.
Earlier, the newspaper Kommersant, citing a study by ANO Information Culture, reported that all Russian pre-installed applications can transfer user data to foreign companies, which can be used mainly for targeting advertising.
Against the background of these messages, Yandex and Mail.ru Group said that their application trackers collect only anonymized information, not personal data.
For example, Yandex noted that technical tools make it possible to learn about the installation of applications by users, to identify errors and critical failures within services.
There is no question of access to user data, the company told RIA Novosti.
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Mail.ru Group told the agency that all the tools used undergo a strict internal security audit, and the company's application trackers collect only technical anonymized information (and "in a much smaller volume" than mobile operators do).
Recall that some domestic applications must be pre-installed on the equipment produced since April 1, 2021 and sold on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The Ministry of Digital Science notes that this innovation is intended to create more balanced conditions for the competition of Russian developments with foreign services.
In this case, the user can always abandon the preinstalled software and use those programs that are convenient for him, the department emphasizes.
An explanatory note to the bill that came into force stated that the initiative would protect the interests of Russian Internet companies, which would reduce the number of abuses by large foreign companies working in the field of information technology.
The list of programs for pre-installation was approved by the Ministry of Digital Science at the end of 2020.
New smartphones and tablets should now be equipped with Yandex, Yandex.Browser, Yandex.Maps, Yandex.Disk, Gosuslugi, MyOffice Documents, Mail.ru mail, ICQ, voice assistant Marusya, News Mail.ru, OK Live, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, MirPay, Kaspersky Internet Security and Applist.ru aggregator.
TVs with the Smart TV function must have Yandex, Wink, IVI, Pervyi, KinoPoisk, OKKO, More.tv, PREMIER, Look, NTV and START.
Computers, laptops and system units with Windows operating systems must have the "MyOffice" program.
The ministry emphasized that there are no conditions on the impossibility of removing preinstalled programs in the adopted legislation.
“We consider it wrong to install applications that cannot be removed from devices,” said the deputy head of the department, Maxim Parshin, amid reports that Samsung has made several Yandex applications non-removable on its equipment.
At the same time, the manufacturer expressed the opinion that in this way the new legal norms are observed.
Yandex, in turn, asked Samsung and a number of other companies not to make their applications unremovable.
Separately, it was noted that the new requirements for preinstalling applications apply to devices released from April 1.
And the entry into force of this procedure did not mean that from that date the equipment with pre-installed applications would appear on sale.
Penalties for violating the new rules will begin on July 1, 2021.
The sanction for officials will be from 30 thousand to 50 thousand rubles, for legal entities - from 50 thousand to 200 thousand rubles.