Finland bans tech group Yandex from transferring customer data to Russia

In June, a Moscow court fined Yandex 2 million roubles ($20,810) for repeatedly refusing to provide Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, with information about its users. Last August Finnish authorities confiscated Yandex's assets in Finland, including what is believed to be the company's only data centre outside Russia, after the company's founder and former chief executive Arkadi Volozh was put on a European Union list of sanctions.

Finland's Data Protection Authority said on Tuesday it has banned Russian tech group Yandex and its Netherlands-based partner Ridetech International from transferring to Russia any personal data of customers of Yandex's Yango ride-hailing app. "The Finnish DPA has become aware of a legislative reform that will enter into force in Russia at the beginning of September, under which the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation will have the right to receive data processed in taxi operations," the regulator said in a statement.

The Yango taxi service, which operates in 14 countries including Finland, is one of many services offered by Yandex, often dubbed "Russia's Google". In June, a Moscow court fined Yandex 2 million roubles ($20,810) for repeatedly refusing to provide Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, with information about its users.

Last August Finnish authorities confiscated Yandex's assets in Finland, including what is believed to be the company's only data centre outside Russia, after the company's founder and former chief executive Arkadi Volozh was put on a European Union list of sanctions. Nasdaq suspended trading in Yandex's New York-listed securities on Feb. 28 last year, shortly after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

In June this year, the company said it had been granted permission to retain its Nasdaq listing provided its planned corporate restructuring and divestment of its Russian business is concluded by the end of 2023. The Finnish regulator said its decision was temporary and initially valid for three months as it had been taken under an urgent procedure set out by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). ($1 = 96.1050 roubles)

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