A bill proposed by several Russian deputies could make all computers, smartphones, smart TVs, tablets, and other similar equipment sold in the country necessarily have a number of pre-installed Russian apps.
The law project
According to what is written on the page of Legislation Support System Russia, where the bill is located, all these products that will be subject to it are considered technically complex. Thus, such a law will allow consumers to use pre-installed Russian software, which in addition to making the use of these devices easier, will also protect and encourage the growth of companies and developers in the country.
According to the authors of the bill:
Such a law will protect the interests of Russian Internet companies, and reduce abuse by large foreign information technology companies.
The bill is still under discussion in the Russian Parliament, and to pass it must have a favorable vote in three different shifts. The first round of Parliament's votes was a positive approval of the new law, and if the next two rounds were also, the result would be the approval of Bill N757423 by Vladimir Putin.
If the bill is approved, the law will become effective from the first day of March 2020. From this date onwards, the government will release a list of all models of electronic devices that will be subject to the new law. Other lists will also be disclosed specifying which applications should be installed in each of the different categories of electronic devices that fall under the new legislation.
Manufacturers and distributors of electronic devices If they refuse, or are unsuccessful in following the new orders, they will be subject to a fine with an estimated value of 200,000.00 (approximately R $ 12,900).
The Politics
While parliamentarians mostly approve and support the bill, saying it will enrich the country's development and technology scene, the population proves to be extremely contrary to the new idea. This is said to be a move towards a state of vigilance, and oversight. These people fear that the applications that will necessarily be installed on their devices may only aim to provide the government with easy access to private user data.
It is really a very controversial topic. I think it is excellent that a government decides to support the development of software and technology in its countries, but I also think that the means that Russian parliamentarians are trying to use to provide this support are, to measure the words, extremely dishonest. As for the question of whether or not the government is intent on spying on the population, well, who am I to say anything? But that is really what you mean.
Even if the government's intentions are as honest as possible, I also don't think such a law will give the Russian IT industry a big boost. Apps that, if the law is passed, will be threaded down the throats installed by default on electronic devices will not necessarily be the best apps developed in the country, they will be just politically selected apps. Probably applications from companies and developers, in some ways, affiliated with the government.
Maybe I'm completely wrong, and living in Brazil has made me a very suspicious person when it comes to politics, and politicians. However, from my point of view, all this talk of boosting the technology sector in the country seems to be an excuse for the government to do something like, for example, what the Russian people themselves suspect, mentioned earlier in this article.
Finally, I would really like to know what you think about this subject. Do you think the new bill is really a good idea? Or the suspicions of the population that make the most sense? Let's talk in the comments!
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