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A new Russian law will require large social media companies to open offices in Russia if they don’t want to face advertising bans or other penalties, according to a report by Reuters. The law was reportedly signed by President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and will apply to foreign companies that are “carrying out activities on the internet in Russia.” According to a Russian official, the law affects companies that have over 500,000 Russian visitors a day.
The Russian government has been looking to rein in Big Tech’s influence in the country. In 2019, it introduced a law that required device makers to pre-install Russian-made apps on smartphones, TVs, and computers (with Apple being allowed to instead show the apps to users during the setup…
