Google closes the software development unit in Moscow

The Internet company Google closes the software development unit in Moscow on the eve of the entry into force of the new law on the ban on the storage of personal data of Russian citizens outside of Russia. It is reported by The Wall Street Journal.

At the same time, Google plans to preserve in Russia a group of employees engaged in user support, marketing, external communications, sales and business partnerships. Google still plans to increase in 2015 investments in projects to promote in Russia the Android mobile platform and the Chrome browser, the company representative said.

"We are deeply committed to our Russian users and clients and for their support we have a special group in Russia," Google representative told the newspaper.

According to the 9to5Google.Com website, the number of employees of the software development unit is about 50 people. They will be given the opportunity to work in Google in another place.

Vladimir Putin signed the law on the compulsory storage of personal data of Russians on servers in Russia on July 22 . According to this document, firms that will not open their data centers in Russia will be considered violators and Roskomnadzor will be able to block their resources for Russians by decision of the court. The law also creates a special "Register of violators of the rights of personal data subjects."

On September 24, the State Duma adopted in the second reading an amendment, which introduces the document by virtue earlier for almost two years - January 1, 2015 instead of September 1, 2016, as enshrined by the adopted law.

Among the authors, the amendments were United Russia, Evgeny Fedorov, Zhirinovtsy Vadim Dysin and Yaroslav Nilov, communist Alexander Yushchenko and reference Vladimir Parakhin. They explained their initiative by the fact that now many domestic services and data centers are located in Russia, so there is no point in waiting for 2016 .

On Wednesday, the relevant State Duma Committee on Inform Policy, Information Technologies and Communications proposed to return the amendment to the second reading and transfer the deadline for the entry into force of this norm on September 1, 2015 .

"After the consultations that the committee held, it was decided to stop at the date of September 1, 2015. We will offer the State Duma next week to return to the second reading procedure," said the head of the Committee, Socialist Revolutionary Leonid Levin.