Episode 95 - Russia Ratchets Control of the Russian Internet

Data localization – we’ve devoted several episodes to what countries are doing to control and restrict data flows involving their residents. What happens when there’s a war (or “military operation” if you prefer) going on? Do recent actions by the Russian government reflect a growing trend toward a splinternet, treating data as though it were national cattle being locked within a corral? Or is this more a reaction to sanctions imposed by other nations, having little do with data? This podcast considers how data localization is on the rise in democracies like Indonesia, but India’s government shelved a draft national data law that would have increased control and domestication of data after pressure and objection from its broader society. With Yugo Nagashima, a Frost Brown Todd attorney focused on international and domestic data privacy and technology, we discuss expanding fines and Russia’s seizure of Google’s Russian subsidiary’s bank account, aiming to force U.S. and other non-Russian companies to agree to Russia’s controls over data as a condition of offering services to Russians. Will the internet achieve its dream of global information flows with reasonable privacy protections, or are we headed to a splinternet, where nations control and restrict what their residents can share and receive across borders? If you have ideas for more interviews or stories, please email [email protected].