MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian State Duma is going to discuss amendments limiting state purchase of foreign software on Wednesday, RBC reports.
Lawmakers may ratify amendments providing a definition of national software and forcing state bodies and government-run corporations to principally acquire Russian software. According to the project draft, in any case where there is at least two Russian software products similar to a foreign one, the software buyers will be obliged to purchase and install Russian software. Moreover, the document defines what is a national software manufacturer: it is a legal body whose more than 50 percent is owned by a Russian citizen or a group of Russian citizens constantly residing in Russia and not having a dual citizenship. As these requirements may be difficult to meet quickly, the amendments' coming into force might be postponed to the 1st of January, 2016.
Newspaper Vedomosti published a governmental source’s opinion that Russian Ministries were tasked to prepare of a registry classifying Russian software as preferred over its foreign rivals. Reportedly, there might be three registries according to the reliability of software. To be ranked in the “trusted” list, a program must have its source code open and checked by specialists.
In mid-August the Russian Minister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolai Nikiforov voiced a long-term objective of gaining absolute informational sovereignty.
