The famous business social media platform LinkedIn could have reached its end in Russia, after it was known that the Russian state´s federal media regulator Roskomnadzor is planning to limit it in the country, after the world´s largest professional network didn't transfer its servers, and apparently used citizens information -even of those who doesn't use it- without their consent.
Users' Data Were Leaked Since 2010
According to the International Business Times, these kinds of activities are in violation of Russian privacy legislation, which was enacted on September 25, and requires all Russian user information to kept on Russian soil. Also, it was known that there was several LinkedIn users data leaked since 2010, which could be related to the series of cybersecurity incidents reported this year.
Considering that the professional social network doesn't have an official representative office in the country, Roskomnadzor - also known as the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies and Mass Communications - took legal action requesting the court to block access to the site, as reported by Russia Beyond The Headlines.
"This is, undoubtedly, a high-profile decision, as it concerns one of the best known global online resources. The court, thus, evaluated the evidence presented by the Federal Service and passed the ruling on its basis," member of the law firm, Tiling Peters LLC, Yekaterina Tilling, told to the media.
LinkedIn Ban As Retribution For Russian Hacker's Detention?
Meanwhile, Russian Presidential Adviser for Internet Issues, German Klimenko, stated that "if the Federal Service... wins and blocks (LinkedIn), that will be a signal for those companies that did not transfer (Russians' personal data). This also concerns Facebook, Twitter and all foreign companies."
According to the International Business Times, it is possible that this actions against the LinkedIn could be related to detention of the Russian hacker Yevgeniy Nikulin, which was an operation ruled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Interpol. Soon after his apprehension, Russian foreign minister Maria Zakharova explained that this was a politically motivated move, which showed that the U.S. was "hunting Russian citizens around the world."
