The authorities in Moscow are intensifying a censorship campaign at home by squeezing some of the world's biggest tech companies.
Last week, Russian authorities warned that they had until the end of this month to comply with a new law that requires them to set up legal entities in the country. Legal experts and civil society groups said that the landing law makes companies and their employees more vulnerable to Russia's legal system and the demands of government censors.
The moves are part of a Russian campaign. The authorities are using the threat of fines, arrests and the blocking or slowing down of internet services to push the companies to censor unfavorable material online.
According to the Russian internet regulator, Apple, TikTok, and Spotify have complied with the landing law. They have not. Some parts of the law have been complied with by Meta, but not others.
The tech companies are caught between their public support for free expression and privacy and their work in countries with authoritarian leaders. It has forced them to consider whether or not they should stay in Russia.
Ukrainian officials and U.S. lawmakers are trying to limit companies' involvement in Russia. The vice prime minister of Ukraine said on Friday that he had asked Apple to stop selling to Russians. Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, sent a letter to Meta, Telegram, and others, urging them to not allow Russian entities to use their platforms to sow confusion about the war.
All over the globe, there are demands for such things. China is home to perhaps the world's most restrictive internet, which has spread to other countries as they try to build a more tightly controlled web.
It isn't easy for Russia to censor the internet. Russia's internet is more open than China's, and the U.S. tech platforms are widely used in the country. Last year, the Russian government used new technical methods to block access to social media sites.
Russia is expected to ramp up pressure on the tech companies as they try to control what information is disseminated about the war in Ukraine. Russians have been using foreign social media platforms to criticize the conflict, stoking concerns of a crackdown on the platforms.
On Friday, it was announced that access to Facebook would be restricted. Several pro-Kremlin media outlets were interfered with by the social network.
The company refused to stop independent fact-checking of posts from four state-owned media organizations, according to the company's top policy executive. There were no signs that access to Facebook had been disrupted. Russian state media will not be allowed to run ads on the social network.
The Russian government is trying to increase control over these companies and the content online in Russia, according to a human rights lawyer in Russia.
Meta said that it was taking steps to comply with the new landing law, but that it had not changed how it reviewed government demands to take down content.
The law wasn't commented on by Apple, Google or Twitter. On Friday, it was announced that it was pausing ads in Russia and Ukraine. TikTok, Telegram, and other companies did not respond to requests for comment.
Western companies and organizations are starting to sort out their relationship with Russia in light of the sanctions. There is a possibility of reduced supplies of oil and natural gas. Russian and Ukrainian wheat could be in short supply. European soccer clubs have dropped Russian companies as sponsors, with a major championship match moving from St. Petersburg to Paris.
Tech companies are particularly affected by the situation. Apple and Google have employees in Russia, where they have control of the software on almost every phone. Some popular sites are used to get information outside of the state-run media. Telegram, the messaging app that started in Russia and is now legally based in London, is one of the country's more popular communication tools.
The new landing law is a move by the Kremlin to counter attempts by the tech companies to minimize their physical presences in Russia. The law requires foreign websites and social media platforms that have more than 500,000 daily users in the country to register with a local leader. It requires the companies to register an account with the Russian government's communications agency, and to create an electronic form for Russian citizens to contact the companies with complaints.
Human rights and civil society groups warn that companies that establish more of a local presence are at risk of being intimidated by the government. The Russian authorities threatened to arrest employees of Apple and Google if they did not remove an app created by supporters of Navalny.
What is the root of this invasion? Russia considers Ukraine within its natural sphere of influence and is worried that the country might join NATO or the European Union. The United States and Europe give financial and military aid to Ukraine.
Are these tensions starting now? The Russian military crossed into Ukrainian territory after the overthrow of their Russia-friendly president. There was a cease-fire in 2015, but fighting continues.
How has the Ukrainians responded? The state of emergency was declared after cyberattacks knocked out government institutions. Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law after the attacks. The foreign minister called for the world to stop the attacks.
The Russian government would like to have embassies of those companies in Russia, according to the man who worked with Mr. Navalny.
13 companies were listed by the government as having to comply with the new landing law.
As of Friday, all of the main requirements, including setting up a local legal entity, have not been met by any of the companies. A Russian legal entity was not established by any of the companies that had registered a representative with the regulators.
The official said that companies that didn't comply by the end of the month would be fined. According to the law, the penalties could disrupt ad sales, search engine operations, data collection and payments.
The issue of applying measures before the end of the month will be considered by Vadim Subbotin.
Human-rights and free-speech groups said they were disappointed that some of the tech companies were complying with the law without public protest.
The adoption of the landing law is intended to create legal grounds for extensive online censorship by threatening freedom of expression online, according to an expert on Russian internet censorship efforts.
Mr. Chikov, who has represented companies in cases against the Russian government, met with Facebook last year to discuss its policies in Russia. He said that Facebook executives sought advice on whether to pull out of Russia. The company followed the laws.
Mr. Chikov urged the tech companies to speak out against the Russian demands, even if it leads to a ban.
He said that there have been times when the big tech companies have been leaders in civil liberties and freedom of expression.
The reporting was contributed to by Anton Troianovski.
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