For the second time, Russian deputies postponed the date of entry into force of the law on mandatory software pre-installation. This time it was postponed until April 1, 2021 and a number of clarifications were made to the document.At the last meeting, which was broadcast on the website of the lower house of Parliament, an important clarification was adopted.
In addition to Russian software, it will be possible to install programs of other EAEU countries — Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan – on gadgets sold in the Russian Federation.
Initially, the law was supposed to come into force on July 1. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline was postponed to January 1, 2021. Electronics manufacturers asked for an additional delay in the introduction of the law, because for a long time it was unclear which programs should be installed on the devices.
Last month, the government approved a list of devices and applications that fall under the law on pre-installation. These include smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers and smart TVs. 16 categories have been added to the list of mandatory software, including browsers, search engines and messengers.
On December 7, the Ministry of Digital Development compiled a rating of applications for pre-installation. Yandex products were among the leaders, Mail.ru Group, Kaspersky and MoyOfis. Also, “Public Services” and the Mir payment system will be installed on the devices.