Russians’ fears allayed over passport-only wifi

Russian civil liberties campaigners and iPhone obsessives are breathing a sigh of relief after it was revealed that a new law requiring a passport number for public wifi access only applied to a limited number of rural locations. Russian social media had been abuzz with outrage at what seemed like a further sign of government interference in the freedom of the internet and a further infringement on the comfortable lives of the urban middle class, following quick on the heels of the recent ban on the import of certain foreign foods. However, dismay turned to relief after an emergency statement this morning from Russia’s Ministry of Communications and Mass Media confirmed that the new law applies only to “collective access points”, a government scheme to increase public wifi in the countryside.

The law makes the anonymous use of public wifi illegal in the Russian regions: collective access points — government-installed wifi in areas including post offices, student halls, schools and libraries — are required to obtain a license to store personal data from Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor or face fines of up to 10,000 roubles ($274).

In Moscow, however, similar areas providing public wifi use different internet operators and so are not considered subject to this scheme.