Roskomnadzor, Russia's communications watchdog, finds itself in a very strange situation for the second time. First, the agency attempted unsuccessfully to block Wikipedia from working in Russia, and now Facebook has rejected its demand to transfer the personal data of its Russian users onto Russian territory, putting Moscow regulators in a very awkward position.
If they wish to enforce their ill-conceived law -- drafted for the sole purpose of extending the government's control over civil society by closely monitoring popular social networks -- Russian officials must now shut down Facebook's operations in this country. However, Facebook has essentially called their bluff: The officials never wanted to shut down the social network and it is difficult to predict what will happen now.
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