Russia Plans To Increase Fines For Violating Data Protection Laws
The Russian State Duma (the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament) adopted in the first reading a draft law introducing amendments to the Russian Code on Administrative Offences (the Draft Law) that would increase the amount of the fines imposed for violating Russian data protection laws and introducing a differentiation of the relevant offences ' types.
Notably, the Draft Law does not introduce any separate fine for violating Russia 's new Data Localization Law, although there is still a possibility that this could be modified as the legislative process progresses. The liability that may be imposed on legal entities for violating the general rules regulating the collection, storage, use, or distribution of personal data amounts to RUB 10,000 (currently approx. USD 160).
The Draft Law 's explanatory note states the drafters ' opinion that the current liability clause does not effectively protect data subjects ' personal data, and that the increased fine amounts are intended to ensure the protection of data subjects ' rights.