As a means of promoting domestic technology, Russia has passed a law banning the sales of any smartphone, computer, and smart television without Russian-made software that is pre-installed and determined by the government. Manufacturers and distributors in Russia are calling this a bad decision because it may convince international companies to abandon the Russian market. Also, it may not be possible to install Russian-made software on some devices.
One of the bill’s co-authors, Oleg Nikolayev, has explained how it could help Russian users.
“When we buy complex electronic devices, they already have individual applications, mostly Western ones, pre-installed on them,” he said, according to Interfax news agency.
“Naturally, when a person sees them… they might think that there are no domestic alternatives available. And if, alongside pre-installed applications, we will also offer the Russian ones to users, then they will have a right to choose.”