FSB and Divorce Key

The security forces are tired of “breaking” the Internet manually, and they demand from Yandex to hand over encryption keys from correspondence of all users

Russian special services continue to go to the Internet. After a frankly fault attempt to get the encryption keys from the Telegram messenger, which ended with the official “blocking” (everything still works for most users), the FSB came with the same request to Yandex. One of the largest Internet sites of the country, according to RBC, a few months ago received a demand to provide keys to decipher the data of Yandex.Po and Yandex.Disk services users. So far, Yandex refuses to do this, since he is afraid of violations of the entire carefully created “ecosystem”, the essence of which is that the user can build all his life exclusively through the services of the company - from ordering food to the arrangement of housing.

The company "Yandex" on Tuesday sent a press release to the media, which says that the "Yarovaya Law", which requires the provision of encryption keys, should not be interpreted as widely as the security forces want to do.

“The purpose of the law is the observance of security interests, and we completely share the importance of this goal. In this case, the implementation of the law is possible without violating the privacy of user data. We consider it important to observe the balance between the safety and privacy of users, as well as take into account the principles of equality of regulation for all market participants, ”the statement says.

The paradox is that it is just impossible to fulfill the law, without at risk, the market participants and, in particular, Pavel Durov, when the security forces asked for access to Telegram. “If you fully implement all the terms of the“ Yarovaya Law ”, then law enforcement officers will have access to users data,” confirms the New Karen Karen Karevyan, the new analyst. “We, unfortunately, know that in Russia all this is perfectly sold and bought.” At the same time, Ghazaryan indicates the fact that we do not know at what moment the correspondence between Yandex and the FSB became publicly known about it. For two years, the “Law of Yarova” is already two years, and the talk that security forces are by hook or by crook are trying to get data about users constantly. It is possible that Yandex regularly refuses the FSB to provide such keys.

“[It is important to understand] why such information appeared. It is clear that Yandex has recently met a lot with the demands of the state, and it is clear that for the company [this is] the situation when it actually needs to be put under the blow of its users, to lose in a public image compared to foreign players, to which law enforcement agencies for some reason is not [so] there are many complaints, ”continues Ghazaryan. - This may be, first of all, a way of attracting [attention] to this problem: they say, it is time to start talking about the futility of the Yarova Law, which no one fulfills. And to make such laws that would be fulfilled, on the one hand, and on the other hand, they would really help law enforcement agencies in investigations. So, we still have the Law on the ARD ( operational-search activity. - Ed. ) To the "Law of Yarova", strictly speaking, is not attached. "

Analysts are surprised by the FSB message itself: apparently, the security forces need session keys that give access not only to the mail, but also to the analysis of the entire Yandex traffic, which are included in the register of the organizers of the distribution of information. But the array of information may be unbearable. “Let's just say this is not the most trivial technical task, especially if it is performed on the scale of the entire Yandex. If we are talking about mass storage and interception [data], then it is not at all the fact that then with these data law enforcement agencies will be able to do anything, ”says Karen Ghazaryan.

This is not the first conflict situation related to state laws and Yandex. In November last year, a bill was widely discussed on limiting the share of foreigners in news aggregates up to 20%. In the media, then the information was widely disposed that this bill is adopted specifically for Yandex registered in the Netherlands: supposedly security forces are not satisfied with the impossibility of fully control the portal. In addition, Vedomosti reported that Sberbank intends to increase pressure on the company. The capitalization of Yandex then on the news sank by a billion dollars immediately, and the head of the company Arkady Volozh even made a special statement that he did not plan to sell his share to anyone.

In addition, Yandex launched its own Aura social network, in which it is almost impossible to use a rude expression - including in relation to representatives of power structures, as well as a separate ban on the distribution of obviously false information. In the mechanism of Yandex.No, the dies began to appear that the material was hidden at the request of the law.

However, the most important thing is that the company has long been providing power structures for all information about users without any encryption keys. The requirements of the FSB can carry a political connotation: a company that still retains the face may be decided to squeeze. And in this sense, the behavior of the Yandex itself is important. “It is obvious that the fact of providing keys will work against the company. The reputation of our security forces is now such that any structure that cooperates with them is losing points in the eyes of the public. The fact of resistance to their pressure, on the contrary, strengthens her position in public opinion, ”says political scientist Abbas Gallyamov.

Dossier

On the Sudact.ru website, where texts of court decisions have been collected, since 2011 we have been able to find at least 15 cases, which states that Yandex voluntarily transmitted information to law enforcement agencies. Not all court decisions are laid out in open access and fall on the portal, so in reality there are much more such cases. We give several examples.

Verdict of September 24, 2018 in case No. 1–84/2018

Article: Part 3 of Art. 30, part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code

What they blame: “... the members of the criminal group took an active part in the formation of fictitious payables, including the collection of wages of persons who did not work in LLC <data taken>, to include in the second stage of LLCs of LLC <data taken>."

What Yandex gave: e -mail messages of one of the group members.

Why did you need data: to confirm the acquaintance of the crime participants and the awareness of the accused - the arbitration manager - in the actions of allegedly subordinates.

Sentence dated June 26, 2018 in case No. 1–64/2018

Article: Part 3 of Art. 171.2 of the Criminal Code

What they blame: “... I made an illegal organization and illegal gambling using the Internet information and telecommunication network, outside the gambling zone, <...> associated with the extraction of income on an especially large scale.”

What Yandex gave: presumably messages of the electronic mail of the accused.

Why did you need data: in order to prove the attempts of the accused illegally organize an Internet casino.

Verdict of July 24, 2018 in case No. 1–50/2018

Article: Part 3 of Art. 30, part 3 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code

What they blame: “The defendant <...> made an attempt on fraud, that is, intentional actions aimed at committing the theft of someone else's property by deception, using his official position, largely, the crime was not completed due to circumstances that are beyond his control”, “decided to create a fictitious document flow between LLC Practika, LLC“ Region ”and LLC“ Region Plus ”(Region Plus LLC” - Ed .

What Yandex gave: email addresses from which the reports of the companies were sent.

Verdict of July 11, 2018 in case No. 1–265/2018

Article: Art. 159 of the Criminal Code

What they blame: “Titov A.F. In order to deliberate theft of funds by deception on a large scale, <...> under the pretext of the provision of investment services to the population, not having the opportunity and intentions to provide these services, administered the Internet site MNTS-INVESTMENT.COM, improving it for the Internet resource of MNTIS-Inform LLC, <...> obviously false information about the creation of an investment Internet project ”to attract investors' funds in order to receive the latest dividends and on behalf of the site administrator <...> corresponded with potential customers.”

What Yandex gave: the name, date of birth and the phone of the user registering the mailbox of the accused.

Why did you need data: to prove that the box from which the fraudulent correspondence was conducted belongs to the accused.