Big брат is watching you. In a further attempt by the Russian government to turn the screws on the populace they are now mandating that all wireless APs, wireless devices, and the like, are registered with the government.
From Computer World AU:
Business travellers to Russia might want to keep their laptops and iPhones well-concealed – not from muggers, necessarily, but from the country’s recently formed regulatory super-agency, Rossvyazokhrankultura (short for the Russian Mass Media, Communications and Cultural Protection Service).
In the UK, Ofcom made deregulation one of its first priorities upon coming into existence, but the Russian equivalent is doing just the reverse, including an ominous-sounding policy of requiring registration for every Wi-Fi device and hotspot, according to a report this week from news agency Fontanka.
Rossvyazokhrankultura’s interpretation of current law holds that users must register any electronics that use the frequency involved in Wi-Fi communications, said Vladimir Karpov, the deputy director of the agency’s communications monitoring division, according to an English commentary provided by website The Other Russia.
Um, this has a rather chilling affect for any travelers heading to Russia. Not to mention end users in the country. I wonder how well this type of law is communicated to the people. Are folks in Russia aware of this interpretation by the Rossvyazokhrankultura?
Here’s another quote:
“Setting up a home Wi-Fi network or a hotspot would require what sounds like vast amounts of paperwork, akin to putting a cell tower,”
Damn. So are they planning to war drive looking for offenders? How is this going to play out for Russian wireless users?