Regulators water down legislation that would require preinstalled Russian software on smart devices

Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has relaxed draft legislation that would require smart-phone, tablet, and computer manufacturers to preinstall Russian software on their devices, the agency’s deputy director told Kommersant.

According to the revised legislation, manufacturers would now be permitted to choose preinstalled software on the basis of economic feasibility and consumer demand. The government will develop of list of software categories were these regulations would take effect. FAS has already identified search engines, antivirus programs, Web browsers, messengers, and social networks.

• FAS provided a first draft of this bill to the Communications Ministry in February 2019. The legislation prompted sharp criticism from Apple, Microsoft, and Intel, and even Rospotrebnadzor (Russia’s Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare). In June, the Communications Ministry endorsed the draft law, but a source told the news agency TASS that there are internal disagreements about the initiative within the ministry.